Paradisio
by Zeta Kizzy
Summary: Bulma is tired of being... well... Bulma. Nothing does the body good like a little rest and relaxation. What is in store for her on her aunt's ranch in Texas?
1. Chapter 1: The Hole

**Paradisio**

**Chapter 1: The Hole**

* * *

Bulma Briefs walked into her Park Avenue apartment. She slammed the door behind her as hard as she could. Objects on shelves and tables rattled with the reverberating sound. Bulma's vibrant blue eyes flickered around the apartment quickly. She dropped her purse on the floor and stomped furiously to her bedroom. She turned the lights on and kicked off her three-inch heels.

Bulma was the vice-president of Capsule Corporation, one of the leading technological companies in the world. Her father, Dr. Briefs was the owner, CEO, and president. Soon, everything would be passed down to her. Bulma was everything any normal girl would want to be. She was smart, rich, and incredibly beautiful. She even had who was thought to be the world's sexiest man as her own.

But right now, the genius and socialite needed a vacation. She was tired of her life in the spotlight. She was tired of her unfaithful athlete boyfriend. She was just t-i-r-e-d, _**TIRED**_!!

Bulma flipped through her address book. She came to the letter "F" and started to run her finger down the names. She stopped at "Ferlito." Bulma went over to her phone and dialed the number. As it rang, she went to her closet and pulled out two large suitcases.

"Paradisio Ranch. Frank speaking. How can I help you?" The phone finally picked up as Bulma heaved one suitcase on her queen-sized bed. She rested for a moment before speaking.

"Uncle Frank, it's Bulma," she said breathlessly.

"Bulma! I suppose you'll be wanting to speak to your aunt, huh?" Frank asked happily. "Cherry!" he yelled. Bulma flinched and heaved the other suitcase on her bed. She opened both and began gathering clothes up.

"Hello, little Blue?" a woman said into the phone. Bulma smirked at the nickname.

"Hi, Aunt Cherry. I need a favor," she said.

"Anything for you, Blue," Cherry said.

"I want to come stay at Paradisio. Just for a little while," Bulma said.

"You want to stay at a horse ranch? What about your job, Blue? Won't your father wonder about you? And Bunny, too? I don't want my sister worried," Cherry said.

"I'll tell them once I'm there. That way they can't do anything about it." Bulma zipped up one bag. "I'll even help with the horses, Aunt Cherry."

There were a few moments of silence. Bulma kept packing. Finally, she heard her aunt sigh into the phone. Bulma smiled; she knew she had Cherry.

"I never could say no to you, Blue. But, if you're going to stay, you're going to work. Got it?"

"Yes, Aunt Cherry. Thanks."

"How are you getting here? Flying?"

"Driving. I need a long drive to clear my head. It should be... relaxing." Bulma zipped up the last suitcase. "Bye, Aunt Cherry."

"Bye, Blue. Be safe."

* * *

Chichi Paozu walked into the gas station outside of town. It was a few miles outside of Fort Worth, Texas. She went directly over to the fountain and started to fix herself a drink. After making a Coke with vanilla syrup, she headed to the magazines. She heard the door open and saw her blonde friend walk in.

"Hi, Juu," she said. Juu Gero glared at Chichi. Her icy blue eyes were enough to make one run in the other direction in terror.

"I thought you were just getting a drink and paying for the gas. I can't pump if you don't pay, genius!" she said loudly. Chichi stopped sipping on her soda.

"Oh! I forgot that." Chichi smiled sheepishly and walked up to the front counter. Juu sighed and walked back out. Chichi rang the bell and a spiky-haired guy came out. He looked bashfully at her.

"Hi, Chichi," he said.

"You shouldn't leave the store unattended like this, Goku. What would your grandfather say?" Chichi asked. She took a sip of her Coke. Goku shrugged shyly, watching her as she drank her soda. Chichi smiled at him. "Give me thirty on pump three and this drink, too," she said.

"You got it," Goku said.

* * *

Outside, Juu finally started pumping gas into her little Jetta. She leaned against her car and looked up at the blue sky. It was sweltering in Texas today. She thanked her lucky stars for the job she had been blessed with: radio DJ. She did not have to be at work until ten that night.

_I should've told Chichi to buy me a drink, too_, she thought. She ran a hand through her short blonde hair and sighed.

The moment Juu lowered her head to look down, she was blinded by a glare. The sun reflected off a mirror into her face. Juu squinted to try and see what was blinding her.

A black Mercedes CLK 320 convertible pulled up at pump one. The top was down. Juu watched with a curious eye as an aqua-haired woman stepped out of the car. She did not look any older than Juu herself. She was wearing sunglasses. Her outfit consisted of a white crop jacket and white crop pants. She had on white thong sandals. The woman grabbed her purse and removed her sunglasses. Juu caught sight of the most stunning blue eyes she'd ever seen.

_Why do I get the feeling I've seen her before_? she thought. The woman walked past her without even a glance and into the gas station.

* * *

Chichi was still flirting with Goku over the front counter when the blue-haired beauty walked in. Chichi turned her head to look at the woman.

"My, my. She's a pretty one. She looks kind of familiar," Chichi said quietly. Goku followed her line of sight.

"Not to me."

* * *

Bulma found the fountain drinks quickly. The drive from New York to Texas took about a day if one drove nonstop. Bulma had stopped so much that it had taken her nearly three days to make the trip. Her aunt had called her cell phone to make sure she was not dead in a ditch somewhere. Bulma had also told her mother of her final destination. Her father, on Bulma's orders, was still in the dark.

_Let's see. I want the largest possible drink_, Bulma thought. She found the 72oz. cup and made her favorite drink: the "Suicide." She added extra vanilla syrup and put a top on it. She headed to the front of the store. She saw the brunette step to the side to allow her access to the counter.

"Excuse me," Bulma muttered. The girl smiled at her before winking at the store clerk.

"It's fine," she said as she moved over. Bulma looked back at the clerk. He was staring at the girl in a daze. Bulma smiled and cleared her throat loudly.

"Oh! Um, is this all?" he asked in a hoarse voice. Bulma sighed and shook her head.

"Give me fifty on pump one. I guess I could fill up before getting to the ranch," Bulma said as she handed the money over. The clerk raised an eyebrow.

"Ranch? You must be going to the Paradisio," he said. Bulma looked up at him and stopped slurping on her drink.

"How did you know that?" she asked. The clerk smiled and handed her the change.

"It's really the only ranch I know the name of. Plus, I work there when I don't fill in here. Miss Cherry's a nice person. How do you know her?" the clerk asked. Bulma smiled at the clerk.

"I'm her niece. My name's Bulma," she said. The sweet clerk smiled back.

"Goku Son. That's Chichi Paozu," he said as he pointed to the girl standing next to Bulma. The girl with black hair smiled and waved at Bulma. Then the door opened loudly and the blonde from outside stuck her head in.

"Prepare to be left, Chichi. Why are you hell-bent on trying to waste my time today?" she said loudly. Chichi rolled her eyes. She looked at Bulma.

"It was nice meeting you. I'm coming, Juu. Calm down!" she yelled as she walked to the door. When she reached the door, she faced Goku again. "Catch you later," she said as she winked. Goku blushed and waved at her.

Bulma watched the exchange wondrously and sighed. She gathered her money and drink. Then she looked at Goku, who was coming out of his little trance.

"Well, maybe I'll see you around the ranch," she said. Goku nodded as she left the store.

* * *

After Bulma pumped her gas, she got in the car and continued to drive. She reached the road to turn down. There was a beautiful white sign that read "Paradisio Ranch" and had an arrow pointing to the left. Bulma smiled and made the left turn. It was an old, dusty dirt road. Sighing, she fumed silently about the dust as it flew up around her.

_I hate dirt roads_, she thought.

Suddenly, Bulma rolled over a hill. The car jolted and stopped completely. Bulma gasped, a little shaken by the sudden stop. She pressed on the gas. The tires rolled, but the car did not move. Bulma took off her seatbelt and looked over the side of her car. The left tire was in a deep hole of some sort in the middle of the road. Bulma tried the gas again. Nothing happened; only more dust came up.

"_**SHIT**_!" Bulma yelled. She took out her cell phone. There was no signal where she was. She laughed. "Perfect. Now I have to walk the ten miles to the ranch and have Uncle Frank tow my car from this ditch. Who leaves a ditch, not a pothole, in the middle of the road?" Bulma let the top of her car up and turned it off. She grabbed her purse and got out.

* * *

Vegeta Ouji turned onto the dirt road leading to the Paradisio Ranch. He was slightly hung over from the night before. Hopefully, the horses would not mind it. All he had was a minor headache. The least he would be was mildly irritated. He knew Frank Ferlito would not notice his condition, but Cherry Ferlito was a different story.

_The woman can sense alcohol on me before I even set foot on the ranch_, Vegeta thought. He sighed and rounded a corner.

Being accustomed to avoiding the big hole in the ground, he got ready to do a quick swerve but had to take evasive action when he noticed the black Mercedes. Vegeta pressed on the brakes when he passed the car. He paused for a minute, a little scared that his precious car had almost been hurt. He turned around to see if anyone was in the Mercedes. When he could see no one, he got out of his own vehicle and walked over to the Mercedes.

There was no sign of anyone in the car. There were a couple of bags of snacks in the passenger seat and that was it. Vegeta looked down at the car's tires. The driver was obviously not from around here; they had driven directly into the hole. Vegeta shook his head.

_I tell that old man all the time to get this damn hole fixed. Pretty soon someone will sue him. This is his property_, he thought as he walked back to his car. Vegeta closed the door and drove off. Perhaps the driver was ahead at the ranch...

* * *

Bulma was sweltering in the sun. There was nowhere to take refuge on the dirt road. She could not even see beginnings of the ranch. She looked up into the cloudless sky and sighed.

"What I wouldn't give for some clouds!" she yelled upwards. She took her hair into her hands and twisted it upwards. She pinned it up with a pen from her purse and sighed as she kept walking. Then she heard a humming noise behind her.

Bulma turned around. A metallic orange car came out of the dusty cloud. Bulma nearly jumped for joy. She contained herself and held up her hand. She noticed the car slowing down. When it stopped next to her, she looked it over. She walked up to the passenger's side and looked inside the window. She came face to face with narrow, onyx eyes. She had to blink and pause; the man was devilishly handsome.

"A 1970 Ford Mustang Mach I; sweet muscle car," Bulma said. One narrow eye raised its eyebrow at her comment. Bulma smirked. "I like cars."

"I take it that Mercedes back there belongs to you?" the man asked. Bulma smiled.

"Guilty," she said. "You headed my way, cowboy?"

"There is only one destination on this road," the man said dryly. Bulma tried not to frown. "Get in."

Bulma did as she was told. Once she was in, the man did not wait for her to buckle in before he sped off down the street. Bulma managed to get her seatbelt on eventually. She glanced over at him for a moment.

"You're not a serial killer or anything, are you?"

"It's a fine time to ask that question." He gave her a sideways glance. "I could've slashed your throat by now," he said sardonically. Bulma's whole face changed and a sly smirk came to his. Bulma frowned and crossed her arms.

"That is not funny," she mumbled.

* * *

"Relax. I'm not going to kill you," Vegeta said to the pretty girl. She had not been very shy about getting in the car with him. That was probably because she was about to die of heatstroke out in the sun.

_What is a woman like her doing heading to a ranch? She looks like a city girl_, he thought.

They reached the ranch in five minutes flat at the speed in which Vegeta was driving. He had a way of turning even a thirty-minute trip into ten minutes. As he pulled around into the ranch, he saw the girl looking around at it in wonder. It looked like she was remembering something.

"Have you ever been here?" Vegeta asked out of curiosity.

* * *

Bulma jumped at the sound of the man's voice. She turned and looked at him. She nodded slowly.

"Yes; when I was a younger. I used to come here all the time." She watched the man park quickly and turn the car off. He got out without waiting for her. Bulma sat in the car for a moment, a little stunned. Then she followed suit. She was adjusting her clothes when she heard her aunt's voice.

"Vegeta, have you seen a blue-haired young lady in town by any chance? She sticks out like a so..." Cherry stopped talking when she saw Bulma standing by the orange Mustang. She smiled and walked over to her niece. "Blue, dear! How are you?" Cherry hugged Bulma.

"Fine, Aunt Cherry. I had a little car trouble. But, that young man was nice enough to give me a lift." Bulma nodded towards Vegeta. Cherry turned around and looked at Vegeta. Vegeta crossed his arms and just stared at the two women. Cherry smiled at Vegeta.

"That was very sweet of you, Vegeta. I know those type of actions are few and far between from you." She turned back towards Bulma. "What's wrong with your car, dear?" she asked while running a hand through her short blonde hair.

"Oh, um, there's this hole..."

"I tell Frank to get that thing filled in all the time. He never listens to me! _**FRANK**_!" Cherry yelled. Bulma and Vegeta both winced. A tall, muscular man came around the side of the main house. He was carrying some rope and wearing a hat. He smiled when he saw Bulma. Then he saw Cherry's stern face.

"Hi, Uncle Frank," Bulma said quietly.

"Hi, Blue! Why are you screaming like that, Cherry?" Frank asked. Cherry tapped her foot on the dusty ground.

"Blue's car is stuck in that damn hole in the road. I tell you all the time to fill it in. Everyone tells you to fill it in. Call a tow truck to get her car out of the middle of the road before nightfall, Frank." Cherry turned towards Bulma. "Come along inside, dear. I'll get you something to eat." Cherry headed inside the main house. Bulma nodded and looked back at Vegeta.

"So your name is Vegeta?" Bulma asked nervously. Even in broad daylight, he still looked so dark. His eyes seemed to burn holes into her body. She crossed her arms behind her back.

"Yeah. It's Vegeta Ouji. Tell me your name isn't really Blue," Vegeta said. Bulma let out a highly unattractive cackle. She swallowed when she heard herself.

"No, no. My name is Bulma Briefs. Aunt Cherry has always called me that on account of my hair and eyes. It's just a nickname," she said. She cleared her throat. "So, uh, do you work here or something?" she asked. Vegeta smirked.

"I help out with the horses." Vegeta walked towards her. He stopped right in front of her. Bulma stepped back a little. Vegeta noticed her nervousness. "I also live here."


	2. Chapter 2: New Tasks

**Paradisio**

**Chapter 2: New Tasks**

* * *

Bulma sat across from Vegeta at the table. Cherry was moving around, putting different dishes on the table. It had been so long since Bulma had seen so much food. She had been used to eating either over-priced, barely-there meals or whatever-she-passed-on-the-way-home. But the feast that her aunt sat before her now was something of legend: fried chicken, mash potatoes, gravy, homemade biscuits, macaroni and cheese, green beans, and pound cake for dessert.

"Blue, just don't stare at it. I've been slaving over it all day just for you," Cherry said happily. Bulma looked up and smiled. Cherry was just like her mother in almost every way.

"You really didn't have to, Aunt Cherry," Bulma said as she took the bowl of mash potatoes into her hands. Cherry shook her head.

"Nonsense, dear. I'm just happy you made it here all right. Besides," Cherry sat lemonade down on the table, "this is just lunch. Vegeta can take you out to dinner," she said.

Vegeta looked up from his already filled plate. Bulma had almost forgotten he was right there. He was glaring daggers at Cherry. Cherry seemed to be completely oblivious to him. Bulma hid a snicker as she poured herself some lemonade. The snicker did not go unnoticed as Vegeta glared next at her. Then he looked back at Cherry. The older woman had taken a seat and started to fix her own plate.

"Why do I have to take her out?" he asked through a mouthful of biscuit.

"Chew your food before you speak, Vegeta," Cherry said plainly. Vegeta frowned and swallowed. Cherry smiled and looked at him. "What was that you asked?"

"Why do I have to take the nymph out? She has her own car. Besides, she's not _**MY**_ guest," Vegeta said. Cherry just kept smiling. Bulma frowned at the insult. She put her fork down.

"Nymph? What the hell? I am still here," she said. Vegeta glared at her.

"I know." He looked back at Cherry. "I'm not taking her out," he said, trying to finalize his decision. Cherry smiled and glanced up at the two young people.

"And Bulma will be staying in the guest house with you, Vegeta. You don't mind, do you, Blue? You are, after all, a guest," Cherry said.

Bulma did not know how long she held her mouth open. All she could muster was a faint "No." Vegeta glowered at her from across the table. Bulma toughened up quickly and began eating again as if he was not affecting her.

"Good. Vegeta, my niece isn't going to turn to dust. Finish eating so you can go help Frank. But, get a bath first. You reek of some club," Cherry said. Vegeta began shoveling food into his mouth again. "And slow down!"

* * *

Chichi opened the door to her apartment. She left it open for Juu to follow her inside. When Juu stepped inside, she inhaled sharply at the sudden change in temperature and humidity.

"Chi, what's with the heat in this place? I might as well be outside," she said. She watched Chichi drop her purse on a purple sofa and head towards a door on the far end of the apartment.

"I really don't see the purpose in having the A/C on when I'm not here. Not all of us are famous radio DJs, JuuJuu Bean," Chichi called over her shoulder. Juu smirked and sat in a purple armchair.

"What the hell are you looking for, anyway? I'm hungry. I only have so long before I have to be at work."

"Juu, you're never on time for work. For someone who only works for two hours, you do complain a lot," Chichi said from the room.

"You know I do a lot more than just radio work, Chi. Just hurry up. At this point, I'm sure I could put your boy toy to shame in the food department," Juu said.

Chichi emerged carrying a magazine. Juu raised an eyebrow as Chichi sat at her feet. She hid the cover of the magazine by holding it to her chest. A goofy smile was on her face. Juu sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Are you going to tell me what has you all happy-go-lucky? You look insane," she said.

"Do you remember that girl we met at the gas station earlier?" Chichi asked. Juu shrugged.

"You met her. She blinded me with the glare from her car. What about her, Chi?"

"Well, I saw her face and heard her name. She just seemed so familiar, you know? I heard her name and just knew I had seen her before." Chichi held out the magazine. It was a copy of _Vanity Fair_. Bulma was on the cover. "She's famous." Chichi began flipping through the pages of the magazine.

"She's certainly pretty enough to be famous. What is she? Some sort of model or actress?" Juu asked, sounding very dispassionate. Chichi stopped flipping through the pages and came to an article.

"_Little Girl Blue_," Chichi said as she showed the picture to Juu. Juu leaned forward with a sneer on her face. Chichi rolled her eyes. "It's a play on words, Juu."

"And a mighty cheesy one at that." Juu peered at the article. "_From Oxford to MIT, Daddy's little girl has become the number two to a Fortune 500 corporation in just blah blah blah_... So, she's super-smart or something?"

"Juu, she practically owns Capsule Corp. She might as well be royalty in this country." Chichi looked at the pictures of Bulma in business clothes. She never wore an actual suit; just some form of a dress shirt and dress pants. "At first glance, you'd never believe she would have all that brainpower."

"I bet she gets that a lot, too." Juu stood up. "Wonder what she's doing down here," she mumbled as she stretched. Chichi sat the magazine down and stood as well.

"She's Cherry Ferlito's niece, apparently. She was heading there from the gas station. At least, that's what she told Goku," she said. Juu snorted as they headed for the apartment door.

"Oh, she's definitely going to need some friends."

* * *

Bulma helped Cherry clear the table. She had not done such a thing in so long that it was almost foreign to her. Cherry could tell and smiled at her niece as they made their way to the adjacent kitchen. When they entered and placed the dishes in the sink, Cherry halted Bulma as they started to go get more.

"Blue, you don't have to help me in here," she said.

"But, I want to, Aunt Cherry. I told you I would pull my own weight around here," Bulma said. Cherry shook her head.

"And I want to keep my dishes. I can tell you haven't done dishes in about fifteen years. There are other ways you can pull your weight," she said.

"Um, okay," Bulma said, looking a bit despondent.

"Why don't you go see about your room? I don't think your car is here yet. But, I fixed up your room in the guest house. It should be easy enough to find," Cherry said. Bulma nodded and walked out of the kitchen.

* * *

When Bulma stepped outside, she nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard the sounds of a car starting up. She turned her head to the right and saw Vegeta sitting in his metallic orange Mustang. She crossed her arms and stared at him. He looked at her as if he was deep in thought. Then he stared back up calmly and pulled forward. He stopped so fast that the car kicked up dust in Bulma's face. She frowned and tried not to cough. She glared down at him and he glared back at her. After a solid minute, a smirk formed on his lips.

"You headed my way, woman?" Vegeta asked. Bulma did not smile. She returned his smirk and walked around the front of the car to get in. Once she was in, Vegeta sped off towards the guest house, which was only 1000 feet (a long way if you are Bulma) across the ranch.

Once they were there, Vegeta got out without a word and headed inside. Bulma got out a little slower. She was wondering how she was going to manage that walk every morning.

_I'm not out of shape, but I'm by no means in the best of it, either_, Bulma thought. She sighed and turned to go inside the house.

The guest house was more of a large cottage. It was isolated from the rest of the ranch. Bulma could tell that Vegeta was the type of person who liked that. She figured the less she said to him the better. Besides, he had insulted her thirty minutes into knowing her.

_The prick. I am not a nymph. Who calls people nymphs_? Bulma thought as she found her way into the dainty little kitchen of the house. _He sure does keep this place clean_.

That is what it was. Clean. There was not a single pillow out of place in the house. The place was so neat that it was unhealthy. It was militaristic in an odd way. Bulma felt like she had to tip-toe around the place in an effort to keep everything in order. She finally found the door to the room she was staying in and opened it.

Her room was decorated in yellow and blue. It had a blue bed with yellow walls. Bulma could just imagine Vegeta hating it. Then she shook her head. Why was she even thinking about him? She walked in the room further and looked around it. She could tell that this was the only room that her aunt had been in; some stuff was out of line. Bulma saw a few pictures of her and her parents when she was around five.

_I was even a pretty kid. Sometimes I scare even myself. Was I ever ugly_? she thought drearily. Then Bulma came to a picture of her when she was about ten. She was on a horse and in her jockey outfit. She was smiling hard for the camera. Bulma smiled; it was the last time she had ridden a horse.

A loud noise caused Bulma to drop the framed picture on the dresser. She put a hand to her chest, breathing hard. She looked at herself in the mirror and shook her head. The sound appeared to be someone turning on water. Frowning, she figured it was Vegeta. Bulma yawned and walked over to the bed.

"I suppose a little nap won't hurt. I haven't gotten any proper sleep in so long." Bulma lay down on the bed. She sank into the comforter and pillow. "Oh my. It's so soft..." She was sleep within minutes.

* * *

Ten minutes later, Vegeta exited the bathroom in a towel. He dried his hair with a second towel. The blue-haired woman was nowhere in sight. Snorting, he walked to his room across the hall. Cherry refused to let him have the master bedroom for some odd reason, so he got stuck with the other bedroom in the house. Once in his bedroom, he threw one towel to his bed and went in search of clothing.

"Why is she here? What could a city girl possibly want here?" Vegeta mumbled to himself as he found some of his work clothes. He removed the other towel and began to get dressed.

_Cherry and Frank are her family_, his mind told him. Vegeta "hmphed." He scratched his head and put on his shoes. When he left his room, he still could not find the blue-haired nymph.

"Where the hell is she?" Vegeta walked all around the house looking for her. If he left her and she found herself alone, she would probably run around screaming her pretty little head off. This Vegeta could not have. "I haven't checked her room."

Vegeta walked to the door and stared at the knob. He did not want to open it and find her half-dressed. It was not like he had never seen a naked woman; he'd seen his fair share. But, this was his landlord's niece. Vegeta turned the knob while knocking.

"Woman?" he asked. When he peeked inside slowly, he let out a long sigh. Bulma was asleep. For a moment, Vegeta contemplated waking her to tell her that he was leaving. But, she was sleeping so soundly that he could not bring himself to. He instead closed the door softly and stood there for a moment. It was highly uncharacteristic of him to be so... nice.

_What the hell is wrong with me? I'm never nice_, he thought. He shook off his discomfort and left the house, being sure to slam the door as hard as he could.

* * *

When Vegeta got back over to the main part of the ranch, he found Goku sitting out on the porch steps of the main house, eating a plate of food at record speed. Vegeta rolled his eyes and stopped in front of the younger male. Goku looked sheepishly up at his older counterpart and continued to eat quietly.

"Miss Cherry saved me a plate of food," Goku said quietly.

"Yes, Kakarrot. I can see that. Where've you been all day?" Vegeta asked. He began to walk away. Goku sighed and stood up. Wherever Vegeta went, he most likely had to follow. That's how things had always been.

"I had to help Grandpa at the gas station for a little while. One of the attendants was late again. You stayed at Mai's last night?" Goku asked through a mouthful.

"Unfortunately. I was too drunk to do anything else. You wouldn't want me to drive drunk, would you Kakarrot?" Vegeta walked around to the stables, searching for Frank. Goku passed a trash can and got rid of his plate.

"Hey, Vegeta. Did you meet a girl named Bulma? She's supposed to be staying with Miss Cherry," Goku said suddenly. Vegeta stopped and looked at Goku.

"How do you know about her?"

"Oh, she stopped at the station earlier. Did she ever make it here?"

"Yeah. She's at the house." Everyone knew the "house" was Vegeta's place. The "ranch" was the main house.

_Maybe I can get Kakarrot to take the woman out. Then I can be free of her for tonight. But Kakarrot has his own wench; that loudmouth thing he refers to as Chichi_, Vegeta thought.

"Chichi met her. She seems really nice. Maybe you two could come with us to eat tonight before Juu goes to work. Miss Cherry said that you were taking her out," Goku prattled on. Vegeta frowned as the found Frank.

_There Cherry goes. Shooting her fat mouth off as usual_, he thought. _Although, I suppose this does solve one problem. At least I don't have to be completely sociable if everyone else is around_.

"Fine. I suppose I'll attend with the woman."

"Hey! These hooves won't clean themselves, boys! You're already extremely late! Goku, get started on those Appaloosas! Vegeta, the Arabians are waiting for you!" Frank yelled.

* * *

Bulma opened her eyes and sat up quickly as she heard the door. She stretched and yawned while looking around the room. It had gotten significantly darker in the room. Bulma looked to her right at an alarm clock. She glanced at the time and gasped. It was almost seven.

"Five hours? I've been asleep for five hours?" she yelled.

"Quiet, woman! I don't need to hear you talking to yourself!" Vegeta said from outside her room. Bulma frowned and stood up. She marched over to the door and threw it open. Before she could utter a sharp retort, Vegeta spoke. "Your car is outside. Seems like the old man finally got it out of that hole. You have an hour to get dressed."

"You can't just order me about like that," Bulma said while stepping outside of her room. Vegeta shrugged and turned to go in his room.

"Suit yourself." He faced her once more. "But, I call the bathroom first." He finalized the conversation by slamming the door in her face. Bulma squeezed her fists together and walked out of the hallway.

"What an arrogant, little pinhead," she mumbled as she stepped out into the humid, evening air. Her car was sitting next to Vegeta's, unharmed except for the minor scratch under the front bumper. Bulma shrugged. "Oh well." She popped her trunk and looked at the heavy bags. Sighing, she began to heave them out.

* * *

Vegeta opened the door to the bathroom. He noticed that the light from the woman's bedroom was on. When he passed by, he saw her, collapsed on her bed with two large suitcases and two other large bags thrown about the room. He smirked to himself. Apparently, it was loud enough for her to hear and she sat up and glared malevolently at him.

"Thanks for nothing, Vege..." Bulma stopped talking when she noticed Vegeta's attire: nothing except a towel. She did not want to stare, but she could not help it. He was just so... gorgeous. The sad part about it was that he seemed to know it as well. Bulma managed to find his face again and saw that he was wearing that self-righteous smirk that she had become familiar with over the course of one day.

"Forty-five minutes, woman," Vegeta said. He turned and went into his room without waiting for her to speak.

Bulma smiled and went over to one of her bags. She opened it and her grin became one of pure cunning. She gathered the various articles and stood up to take them in the bathroom with her. Once there, she sighed at the organization of the bathroom.

_This is all changing tomorrow_, she thought. She walked over to the medicine cabinet.

* * *

Forty-five minutes later, Vegeta jingled his keys in an irritated manner. He was usually a very punctual person and hated tardiness. Today was an exception because of his hangover. But now, this woman was cutting into his mealtime. With all the racket she had put up in the bathroom, it was a surprise the door had not come off its hinges. Vegeta sighed and ran a hand through his still-damp mane.

"Woman, you've got fifteen seconds and I'm leaving!" he yelled. No reply came his way. He inhaled sharply. "Fourteen... Thirteen... Twelve... Eleven... Ten... Ni..."

"Shut up, Vegeta." Bulma emerged from the hallway. She was wearing an orange halter and khaki pants. Her hair was in a ponytail and she did not look at him once as she sauntered past him. "We can go."

Vegeta watched as she passed him. He would never understand women. It took forty-five minutes for her to put on a shirt and some pants? She might as well have been putting on a suit of armor for all the time it took.

_Females are an enigma to mankind_, he thought as he locked the door to the house.

Bulma was already seated in his car when he got there. He growled something unintelligible and decided not to address it. He just got in and started the car. After backing up and driving past the ranch, Vegeta could tell Bulma was getting fidgety. He knew she wanted to ask something as they drove down the dark road that led back to the main road.

"What, woman?" Vegeta sighed out. Bulma faced him.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"I'm not telling you. Just wait and see."

"But I want to know now, Vegeta."

"I'm not telling you now, woman. Stop whining," Vegeta said. Bulma crossed her arms over her chest and sat back in her seat.

"Stop calling me that. I have a name and you know what it is," she said quietly.

"I'll call you what I want," Vegeta said.

"I won't answer," Bulma said, turning her head towards him. Vegeta smirked. After a moment of silence, he looked at her.

"Yes, you will."


	3. Chapter 3: Burritos and Snores

**Paradisio**

**Chapter 3: Burritos and Snores**

* * *

Vegeta pulled into a rocky parking lot. Bulma looked up at the neon lights of the building that was in the parking lot. Immediately, her stomach began to churn.

"Buffalo Trini's All-You-Can-Eat Tex-Mex and Hot Wings; it doesn't get much more diverse than that, does it?" Bulma asked as Vegeta swerved into a parking space next to a VW bus. Vegeta put the Mustang in park and shook his head.

"I tell that woman to change the name all the time, but she doesn't listen to a damn thing I say." Vegeta got out of the car. Bulma followed suit and they headed inside.

* * *

As soon as they stepped inside, Bulma was hit with the smell of hot sauce, salsa, chicken, and beef all rolled into one. It was... unique, to say the least. She kept the black widow's peak in her sight and followed Vegeta timidly.

"Hey, Vegeta!" a voice called.

Bulma's eyes widened. She recognized the voice. She turned her head and saw Goku standing up and waving frantically. Vegeta mumbled something under his breath and kept walking towards him. Bulma picked up her pace but stayed behind Vegeta.

"Kakarrot, do you have to make a fool out of yourself every time you see me in public?" Vegeta asked as he arrived at the table. Goku smiled sheepishly, shrugging off Vegeta's insult. Sighing, Vegeta stepped to the side to let Bulma see the others. "This is Cherry's niece."

"We've met before," Chichi said. She smiled up at Bulma. Bulma smiled as well, happy to see a friendly face. The blonde that Chichi was with before was also sitting with her. She had yet to look up at Bulma. Instead, she was working over a basket of tortilla chips and salsa. Chichi nudged her in the side. "Juu, say hi," she whispered. The blonde looked up at Bulma.

"Hey. We never formally met at the gas station. I believe the most you got out of me was me yelling at Chichi. I'm Juu Gero. This bald thing next to me is Krillyn Monk," she said. Bulma nodded and waved. Krillyn just smiled and waved back. He elbowed Juu, too. She shot him a nasty look.

"I'm, uh, Bulma Briefs," she said. Juu nodded and glared back at Chichi.

"Ya happy? I made nice," she said as she went back to eating. Chichi sighed and looked at Bulma.

"It has nothing to do with you. She gets like this before she goes on the radio," she said. Bulma raised an eyebrow.

"The radio?"

"Sit, woman," Vegeta said as he motioned into the booth. Bulma gave him the evil eye and sat down. Vegeta nudged her so that she would move over. Bulma sighed and did so. She elbowed him in the side and he pinched her arm. Bulma rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to Chichi.

"Yeah. Juu is also known as Juu-Juu Bean. She's a late-night radio host," Chichi said. Juu rolled her eyes.

"That sounds like a great job," Bulma said. Juu looked up as she passed the chips to Goku. He immediately started to eat them. Juu then looked over at Bulma.

"It's not as fun as it sounds."

Bulma scanned the massive menu for something to eat. There was everything from cheeseburgers to Buffalo wings to enchiladas to burritos. Then there was the all-you-can-eat buffet, of course. Their waiter came over to the table with a big smile on his face.

"Hi, my name is Joshua. Can I get you all anything to drink first?" he asked. Juu looked over at him.

"Sure," she squinted at him, "Joshua. I'll have a raspberry margarita. Easy on the salt, sweetness," she said.

"Just a Dr. Pepper," Krillyn said. Juu glared at him. "What? One of us has to drive."

"Whatever," Juu said. Krillyn sighed.

"Anyway, I'll have a Toro Rojo," Chichi said. Joshua nodded and looked at Goku next. Goku was busy stuffing tortilla chips down his throat at a rapid pace. Chichi elbowed him. He looked up at Joshua.

"Just bring me whatever he's drinking," Goku said, nodding towards Vegeta. Joshua shrugged. Next was Bulma. She jumped and glanced up as she noticed that Joshua was looking at her. She smiled at him.

"Oh, um, just a piña colada for me," she said softly. Joshua smiled at her before looking at Vegeta.

"And for you, sir?"

"MGD, tap," Vegeta said curtly. Joshua nodded.

"I'll be right back with your drinks." Joshua took off.

* * *

Juu eyed Bulma from across the booth. The blue-haired beauty was not a shy person, but she was acting the part wonderfully. Juu wondered silently how she was going to get her to speak. She smirked and sat back against the booth.

"So, Blue..."

Bulma blinked and looked up from the menu. Juu was looking at her with her icy blue eyes. The blonde was twirling a chip in her fingers.

_Did she just call me "Blue?"_

"Blue?" Juu sang. Bulma blinked again and focused on Juu. "I thought I lost you there for a moment."

"No. It's just that... Well, you called me by a name that my relatives call me. It's just a little odd that you guessed it," Bulma said. Chichi laughed.

"Wow! That's so cool. Juu, you must be psychic or something," she said. Juu cut her eyes at Chichi.

"Whatever, Chi." She looked back at Bulma. "Found what you want to eat yet?" she asked. Bulma shrugged.

"There's certainly a large enough selection. But, I'll probably get this double bacon cheeseburger," Bulma said. She heard Vegeta scoff next to her. She frowned and glared at him. "What's your problem?"

"You come to a Mexican restaurant and order a burger?" he said snidely. Bulma narrowed her eyes.

"It's on the menu, jerk. Apparently they want people to order it." Bulma closed the menu. "What are you going to eat?" she asked while still glaring at him. Vegeta looked away from her.

"The Burrito," he said.

"A burrito?" Bulma asked. Vegeta shook his head.

"No. _**THE**_ Burrito," he reiterated. Bulma looked confused.

"_**THE**_ Burrito is this gargantuan thing that people try to eat. Your meal is free if you manage to complete the whole thing. It's a two-foot long burrito with the works: beef, rice, beans, three cheeses, sour cream, and guacamole. Vegeta and Goku like to add salsa just for flavor," Krillyn said. Bulma frowned.

"Have they ever finished it?" she asked.

"Every time," Juu, Chichi, and Krillyn said in unison. Bulma looked over at Vegeta and Goku. Goku was staring innocently at her. Vegeta just had that annoying, arrogant air about him. Bulma sighed and shook her head.

"Perhaps you should try one, woman," Vegeta said.

"I'll pass. It sounds like there's too much... flavor going on it that burrito," Bulma said. Vegeta's smirk widened as Joshua returned with a tray full of drinks. He passed them out quickly, took their orders, and was on his way in a hurry. Then the interrogation started.

* * *

Bulma was stirring the slushy drink around in circles. She had no idea why she ordered it. She did not even like them in all honesty. She preferred margaritas. She only drank piña coladas when she was with her mendacious boyfriend. That was only because he ordered them because he believed she liked them.

_Like he'd ever think to ask my opinion_, she thought morbidly as she sipped the sweet drink. _Taste like fake pineapples_.

"Bulma!" Chichi said loudly. Bulma snapped her head towards the raven-haired woman. "You sure do really know how to zone out, don't you?"

"Sorry. I was just thinking about something. What did you want?" Bulma asked.

"What brings you to our neck of the woods?"

"I needed a vacation. Aunt Cherry said I could stay with her for the time being, so that's what I'm doing." Bulma glared at Vegeta, who was eating tortilla chips ferociously. "I'm stuck sharing a house with him."

Juu and Chichi looked at one another. Then they started to laugh. Bulma raised an eyebrow in question. The two just kept giggling before Juu brought her laughter under control. She looked at Bulma.

"I feel sorry for you. Vegeta is like the drill sergeant from hell when it comes to sharing living quarters. Ask Goku or Krillyn. They stayed in that house with him for three months," she said.

"And?" Bulma asked.

"It was supposed to be a year," Krillyn piped. Bulma's face scrunched up, which prompted more laughter from Chichi and Juu. "The guy is nuts. He's such a neat freak. You'd swear he'd been in the army when he's never even seen the inside of a recruitment office. I don't know where he gets it."

"I just don't like mess, baldy. You and the idiot here are like swine when it comes to cleanliness. You wouldn't wipe your ass if you hadn't learned as a child," Vegeta said. Juu stopped laughing and glared at him.

"That's not proper table conversation, Vegeta."

"No one was talking to you, blondie. I'll say what I want when I want," Vegeta said as Joshua and another waiter appeared with their food. Before Juu could retaliate, Joshua placed her piping hot enchiladas in front of her. She mouthed something to Vegeta and Vegeta just made a kissing face at her. Rolling her eyes, she looked down at her food.

Bulma barely saw her burger being placed in front of her. She was too drawn to the two behemoths that were in front of Goku and Vegeta. Krillyn had been right; they were extremely large. Vegeta and Goku readied their utensils and dug in. Bulma slowly began to eat her cheeseburger, every now and then gazing at the carnage that was going on next to her.

_They ate all those chips, too. How can they possibly eat all of that_? she asked herself.

"Seems impossible, right?" Chichi asked. Bulma looked over at her while biting into her cheeseburger. Chichi had ordered chicken fajitas. "For them, that burrito is child's play. I honestly can't tell you where they get their appetites. My father thinks that they must be aliens," she said with a giggle. Krillyn laughed through a chicken wing.

"Yeah, aliens. That's like Juu and Vegeta actually being nice to each other for a change," he said. Juu raised an eyebrow and looked at him.

"How is that the same? How is that even in the same league?"

"Let alone the same sport?" Bulma asked.

"You get what I'm trying to say, ladies." Krillyn picked up another wing. Juu looked and Bulma. Bulma laughed and bit into her burger again.

* * *

Ten minutes later, Bulma put the uneaten quarter of her burger down. She was stuffed. Juu had an enchilada left after eating four of the five. Chichi had two fajitas left out of four. Krillyn had one wing left out of twenty. All of them looked sick and completely full. Vegeta and Goku were scraping the mixture of salsa and guacamole off of their empty plates. Their burritos were gone. Bulma winced at the faint screech their forks made on the plates. She turned towards the two and snatched their forks from them.

"Stop it!" she said forcefully. Goku nodded. Vegeta just glared back at her. Bulma dropped their forks back on her plate and sunk back in the booth. "My stomach hurts," she moaned.

"Full, woman?" Vegeta asked. Bulma glared at him.

"What do you think, chump? I don't see how you ate all that. I'd probably be blowing chunks had I done it," she said. Vegeta laughed.

"As skinny as you are, that burrito probably would've done you good." Vegeta looked away from her. Bulma felt her cheeks start to burn but said nothing. "Blondie, don't you have somewhere to be?" Vegeta asked Juu, who was relaxing against Krillyn. Juu glanced at her watch.

"I suppose." She then glanced at Vegeta. "Will you always be a jerk?" she asked as she stood up. Krillyn handed some money to Chichi and followed Juu out of the booth. Vegeta shrugged.

"Only to you," he said. Juu sighed and walked away. Krillyn nodded at everyone and followed his girlfriend out. Vegeta nudged Bulma in her side. Bulma jumped and shot him an evil glare. "Up, woman. It's time to go." Vegeta gave Goku some money.

"Why do I always get stuck with the check?" Goku asked while stuffing his mouth with more chips.

"Because you're always the last to leave, dumbass. It's not like we make you spend your own money. Now, be on time tomorrow. Let's go, woman," Vegeta said.

"My name is Bulma!" Bulma yelled.

"I don't care," Vegeta said calmly. Bulma sighed and stomped off. Vegeta smirked and followed her at his own pace.

* * *

Outside, Bulma was leaning against the Mustang. Her stomach was starting to turn. She did not know if it was the mixture of piña colada, cheeseburger, salsa, and tortilla chips that had it bubbling, but she was starting to feel very sick. She just needed to get back to the ranch where she could hang her head over a toilet in peace.

_Where is that pompous, little_... Bulma paused in her thoughts as Vegeta graced her sights again. He sauntered out of the restaurant, jingling his keys. Bulma put her hands on her hips and frowned at him. He still had that self-righteous smirk on his face. He finally made it to the car after two agonizing minutes and unlocked the door. Bulma sat in the car and slammed the door shut.

"You can walk home if you're going to treat my car in such a way," Vegeta said. Bulma turned her head to face him.

"I doubt my aunt and uncle would appreciate that," she said in a low voice.

"I will leave you here. Don't test me, woman." Vegeta stared at her. Bulma brought her face closer to his.

"No, you won't." Bulma sat back in her seat and looked straight ahead. "Now drive."

Vegeta watched Bulma for a few seconds more. Then he started the car. They rode in silence all the way back to the dirt road that the ranch was on. When Vegeta turned on it, he knew to be even more aware of his surroundings because there were no lights. However, he was not prepared to hear the soft, but audible snore come from Bulma. It came at the most inopportune moment, too.

Right when Vegeta should have been swerving to avoid the big, gaping ditch in the road, Bulma's little snore frightened Vegeta. Instead of swerving, he slammed on the breaks and the car slid slightly into the ditch. The right wheel was stuck. Bulma jerked forward and back, waking up. She turned to look at Vegeta.

"What the hell just happened?" she asked, sounding scared. Vegeta was just staring straight ahead with no expression on his face. "Vegeta? Why have we stopped?" Bulma asked. Vegeta finally turned to look at her.

"Did you know that you snore?" he asked. Bulma shook her head. "Well, you do. You took me by surprise with your snoring and I forgot to swerve. Now my fucking car is stuck in this fucking ditch!" Vegeta took his key out of the ignition and opened the car door. He got out, leaving Bulma alone.

"Vegeta? Vegeta, where are you going?"

"Where does it look like, woman? I'm not going to sit in the damn car all night." Vegeta started walking. Bulma watched him for a moment. Then she followed him out and ran to catch up. Vegeta turned and pressed the alarm on.

"You were just going to leave me in there?" Bulma asked. Vegeta glared at her in the dark. She really did look scared.

"Yes. Yes, I was," he said. Bulma stopped walking. Vegeta sighed and looked back at her. "No, woman. I would've dragged you out of the car kicking and screaming eventually. Stop acting so childish."

After a few moments of walking in silence, Bulma looked up at the clear sky. The moon was gone and all she could see were stars. She sighed and looked back down. This was the second time in one day that she had to walk down this street.

_Just my luck. At least now I don't have to do it alone_, she thought.

"Vegeta?"

"Hn?"

"What does my snoring sound like?" Bulma asked. She was actually curious to know. She could tell Vegeta was thinking about an answer, too; it was taking him a moment to reply.

"Like a two hundred pound man," he lied. Bulma could tell there was a smile on Vegeta's face even though she could not see it. She grinned and looked up at the stars again.

"I suppose I'll let your attempt at humor slide. I must've been sleepy. I don't usually snore," she said.

"And how would you know this? It's not like you can hear yourself sleep," Vegeta said.

"I just know." Bulma sighed. "So, is there anything I can do on the ranch?"

"Not if you can break horses," Vegeta mumbled mostly to himself. But, Bulma caught it.

"Break a horse? What kind?"

"A palomino Arabian. You know how to break horses? I'm astonished," Vegeta looked at Bulma. Bulma smirked.

"I'm not just a city girl, my good sir. I did say I grew up here. I'm good with horses. Let me have the job. I can handle it."

"This horse was more or less traumatized. I doubt Frank will let you take on the job." The ranch started to come into view. Both sighed in relief. "You'll have to take it up with him." They walked through the gates of the ranch.

"Oh, I will. But right now," Bulma started to feel sick again, "I feel really sick." Bulma ran to the main house and beat on the door. Vegeta shook his head and headed for their house. Bulma felt queasy. She ran over to the side of the house where there was some tall grass and bent over. She heard the front door open.

"Blue, is that you?" Frank asked. He made his way over to Bulma. "Blue, are you okay?" Bulma turned around. She was blue in the face after having vomited all of her dinner up. Frank led her inside. "Oh, Blue..."


	4. Chapter 4: Hinotama

**Paradisio**

**Chapter 4: Hinotama**

* * *

Bulma awoke the next morning. She was hanging off her bed in an awkward position. She was still dressed in what she had worn last night. The sun was peaking through the blinds across the room. Bulma craned her neck to look at the clock on the nightstand. It read 7:34am. Sighing, she wondered how she still managed to wake up so early. Then she realized why.

_Stupid __body __clock_, she thought.

Bulma righted herself on the bed just as she heard footsteps pass by her door. She jumped up, ignoring the slight wave of vertigo that passed over her, and moved towards the door. She opened it only see Vegeta exiting the hall.

"Wait!" she yelled. Vegeta paused and faced her. "Where are you going?"

"I have a job, woman. I am going to go do it," Vegeta said curtly.

Bulma bit her lip, keeping back a sharp retort. She exited her room and walked up to Vegeta. "You said I could see that horse," she said.

"No, I didn't. I said you could take it up with Frank," Vegeta countered. Bulma smirked. "I'm not waiting for you." Vegeta turned on his heel and walked away. Bulma frowned and hustled to the bathroom to shower and get dressed.

* * *

Vegeta and Goku had already gone about their chores as usual. Now, they stared despondently at a single stall at the end of the stable. The horse waiting on the other side of the stall was a palomino Arabian. It was a beautiful horse; probably the most beautiful in the whole ranch. It was also probably the most dangerous in the whole state. Vegeta, who was normally very good with horses, had not been able to talk this horse down. It simply did not like him in the least.

"After you," Goku said.

Vegeta glared at his taller friend. "I am not going in there, Kakarrot. That damn horse hates me. It's lucky I haven't shot it yet," Vegeta said, squeezing the rope he was carrying.

Goku laughed. "Vegeta, don't tell me you're scared," he said.

Vegeta punched Goku in the arm. "I'm not scared, jackass. Just get the ho..."

"What's taking so long, boys? Get the horse out here!" Frank yelled from the front of the stable.

Vegeta looked at Goku and smirked. He tossed the rope at him. "You heard him, Kakarrot." Vegeta walked away.

Goku sighed and stared at the stall's door. He could hear the horse on the other side. It did not sound happy that it was the last to be tended to. _Why __me_? Goku thought.

* * *

Bulma walked over to the stables. She saw only her uncle out in front. There was no one else there. Bulma sighed and looked up at the sky. The sun was really baking and it was not even noon yet.

_I __still __hate __Texas. __If __I__'__m __lucky __maybe __I __could __get __in __some__time __in __Galveston_, she thought. She started to jog over to her uncle. When she reached him, she tapped him on the shoulder. Frank turned around and smiled down at her.

"Morning, Blue. I hope you slept well. Are you ready to meet her?" he asked.

Bulma shrugged. "Only if she's nice, Uncle Frank," Bulma said with a smile.

"Oh, she's very cordial," another voice said. Bulma peered around Frank and saw Vegeta walking up. "She's just as splendid as they come."

"Vegeta, stop it," Frank said.

Bulma raised an eyebrow. Then she looked at her uncle. "Uncle Frank, what is her name?"

"Hinotama," Frank said.

Bulma nodded. _Hinotama_... she thought as she watched Goku lead the wild horse to the yard. Goku immediately closed the gate and let loose a long sigh. He wiped sweat from his brow and turned to look at Bulma. A big grin spread across his face. Bulma noticed the small bruise forming on his temple. She stepped forward.

"Goku, you're hurt!" she exclaimed.

Goku shook his head. "Naw. I'm fine. She just knocked me against the wall. This isn't as bad as what she's capable of." Goku rubbed his head, wincing a little.

"Goku, go put some ice on your head. Vegeta and I will handle Hinotama," Frank said. Goku nodded and started to walk towards the big house. The horse circled the paddock, eyeing Goku like a tiger would eye its prey. Bulma took a step towards Vegeta. She snatched the rope from him. Vegeta glared at her as she walked back over to her uncle.

"So who named the horse 'fireball'?" Bulma asked.

Vegeta raised an eyebrow. _So __she __knows __what __it __means_, he thought.

"Fireball? That's what it means?" Frank looked over at Vegeta. "That's all you had to say, Vegeta," he said. Vegeta just crossed his arms and shrugged. Bulma turned her head and looked at Vegeta.

"How did you know it meant that?" Vegeta asked.

Bulma sighed. "I'm a smart girl. I just know a lot of stuff." She walked over to her uncle. "So, are we going to get to this or what?" she asked. Frank nodded and they began to talk about Hinotama.

Vegeta watched her for a moment. Bulma did not seem to want to talk about herself too much. That was quite odd. One would think that a girl so pretty could go on for days about themselves. Instead, Bulma seemed to want to keep everything to herself. Why was she so private?

_What __is __she __hiding_? Vegeta thought as he watched her and Frank walk over to the gate.

Hinotama was circling the paddock in an almost threatening way. Bulma slowly opened the paddock and closed it behind her. She placed the rope on the gate and faced the horse. Then she looked into the eyes of Hinotama. The horse stopped circling and stood in the center of the paddock. Bulma started to walk in a circle, never taking her eyes off of Hinotama's.

"She's going to get herself killed," Vegeta mumbled.

Frank shook his head. "Nope. Blue is quite good with horses. Just like men, they completely melt for those baby blues of hers," he said with a smile. Vegeta looked at the man. He sounded so confident in the woman's abilities. He definitely had to see that to believe it.

Bulma circled the paddock, still staring into Hinotama's eyes. She did not harden her eyes. She let them remain soft and caring. Hinotama continued to follow her, as if waiting for something to happen. Suddenly, Bulma looked down at the ground and away from Hinotama. Hinotama stepped forward a bit. Bulma looked back up, catching the horse's eye. Hinotama paused. Bulma had made a complete circle around the paddock. She smoothly grabbed the rope as she passed it and kept looking at Hinotama.

Goku came back and stopped by the other two. He looked at them and then at Bulma. He saw how close she was to the horse. It was far closer than he or Vegeta had ever gotten to the wild animal; at least without getting attacked. He watched as Bulma's hands quickly tied a knot into the rope as she drew nearer.

"How does she do that without looking? I'd end up tying my hand in it," Goku said.

"Kakarrot, I'm surprised you don't tie your shoes together," Vegeta said. Goku frowned and looked back at Bulma. She was steadily drawing nearer. "I can't believe she's gotten so close..." he whispered.

Bulma held her left hand out. She did not advance any further on Hinotama. Instead, she let the horse come to her. Surprisingly, the mare did. Hinotama slowly came up to Bulma and nuzzled her hand. Bulma smiled and rubbed her nose. She walked around the horse, rubbing her back softly. Then she came back around, showing Hinotama the rope. Instead of putting the rope around the horse's neck, Hinotama lowered her head so Bulma could do it. Bulma obliged. She rubbed Hinotama's nose in gratitude and faced her uncle with a triumphant smile.

"Wow. She's good," Goku said.

Frank looked at Goku. "It's all in the eyes, Goku. What would've taken weeks to do, Blue just did in ten minutes," he said. He opened the paddock as Bulma led Hinotama out. "So are you going to ride her?"

"Not quite yet, Uncle Frank. Hinotama isn't ready for that stage. We've only just begun," Bulma said. She leered at Vegeta before passing him with Hinotama. The horse gave him a malicious look as well as she followed her new mistress to the stables.

* * *

At lunch, Bulma dropped her fork on her plate. She swore her aunt was trying to fatten her before slaughtering her like in that fairytale about the two children who lost their way in the forest. All Cherry had asked was if Bulma wanted a "light lunch." Cherry had proceeded to make a three-course meal. Goku and Vegeta did not seem to mind it. Of course, these were two guys who had made short work of a burrito meant to be eaten as a challenge.

"I am stuffed," Bulma moaned.

Goku looked at her plate which was still half-filled. "But you hardly ate anything," he said through a mouthful.

"Goku, I ate plenty, trust me. My plate was layered with food," Bulma said. She glanced over at Vegeta. He appeared to be sulking. "What's eating you, Vegeta?" she asked.

Vegeta turned his glare towards her. "A goddamn Arabian," he said sarcastically. Bulma had no idea whether or not he was serious, though. She said nothing. "What the hell do you think is eating me? My 'Stang is still in a damn sinkhole," he mumbled.

"Oh. Why didn't you tell Uncle Frank to tow it out?" she asked.

"We did. Those fucking morons are taking too long. It wouldn't still be in there if you didn't snore like a locomotive, woman," Vegeta said.

Bulma frowned at him gathered up their plates. "I resent that, Vegeta. I do not snore like a locomotive."

"Oh really? Then what do you call that loud noise that roused even you from your nap in my car? You sounded like a fifty-year-old truck driver; not any woman I've ever heard," Vegeta said snidely.

"Is that so? Exactly how many women are in your vast memory?"

"Well, that depends. The ones I know or the ones I've sle..."

"Okay. That's enough of that talk, you two. If you're finished eating, kindly remove yourselves from my table and get back to work!" Cherry said, interrupting Vegeta. She cleared Bulma's plate away and glared down at Vegeta and Goku. The two began stuffing their faces quickly before using lemonade to wash it all down.

* * *

The rest of the day went by without incident. Bulma stayed far away from Vegeta, instead spending her time tending to Hinotama. The horse seemed to only take to her. Whenever one of the men passed, she would look at the menacingly. To that, Bulma would just smile.

"You know, eventually you'll have to be nice to them. I know men are pigs, but..."

Bulma's cell phone began vibrating in her pocket. She took it out and looked at the caller ID. Frowning, she answered it as she left the stall. She did not put it to her ear just yet. When she made her way out of the stable, she put it to her ear.

"Hello?"

"Hey babe! Where've ya been? I've been calling you for two days."

Bulma rolled her eyes. "No, you haven't. I've had my phone with me for the past three days. Not once have you called, Yamcha."

"Really? I could've sworn I called you yesterday."

"What do you want? I was busy."

"Well, I was wondering if you wanna go out tonight. Me and the guys are going to a bar to watch the game..."

"Why would I want to hang out with... No."

"Aw, come on, babe..."

"No. I'm not even in New York right now."

"Seriously? Then where are you?"

"None of your concern. Don't call me anymore. I'm hanging up now."

"Bulma, wait!"

Bulma hung up the phone. She had half a mind to throw it on the ground and stomp on it. However, she still needed it in case of emergencies. She put it back in her pocket and tapped her foot on the ground. Then she started walking towards the cottage.

* * *

Vegeta was tying knots in different ropes. He saw Bulma walking back to the cottage through the dim light of the remaining day. He could tell by her walk that she was not happy. _Why__'__s __she __in __a __huff __now_?

"Vegeta!" Goku yelled.

Vegeta looked down at what he was doing. Somehow, he had tied Goku's hands up in one of his knots. He glared up at the taller man. "How did you even get in my knot, Kakarrot?"

Goku blinked. "I don't really know how that happened. I was tying a knot in this one and then..." He stopped when Vegeta dropped the rope. "Vegeta!"

"Become an escape artist, Kakarrot. My car is here now." Vegeta started to walk towards the big house. A tow truck was pulling his Mustang in.

From what Vegeta could see of his vehicle, it looked none the worse for wear. One of his front tires was flat. But what made Vegeta start seething was the huge scratch that the left side had acquired. Against the metallic orange of his car, the white scratch was incredibly visible. He watched as the car was lowered to the ground. He barely moved when a hand clapped down on his right shoulder.

"Well, at least it's out the ditch," Goku said.

Vegeta squeezed his fists together as Frank paid the tow truck driver and he left. The older man walked over to Vegeta and whistled.

"It could be much worse, Vegeta. I've already called someone to fill in the hole. That scratch isn't too bad. I'm sure you can buff that right out," Frank said in his usual jovial manner.

Before Vegeta could say anything, Cherry opened the door to the ranch house. "Dinner, boys. Vegeta, be a dear and let Bulma know, please." The older woman retreated back into the house with Goku and Frank following her.

Vegeta stood there, still a little dazed at the state of his car. He could smell the food that Cherry had cooked. It smelled like steak and potatoes. She would not feed him if he did not obey he orders, so he begrudgingly went in search of Bulma.

When he arrived at the cottage, he found Bulma flipping furiously through the channels on the television in the living room. Vegeta rarely watched the television himself. The only time it was ever on was when he had guests in the cottage. The last time he had someone else in the cottage was easily six months ago. Vegeta almost never brought women home. It was not his style.

But, here sat Bulma. She looked distressed and had not noticed Vegeta's presence yet. He took a few steps towards her, still watching her. Her cell phone was sitting next to her on the couch. Before Vegeta could say anything to her, the phone went off. Bulma took one look at it and frowned. She picked it up and chucked it across the room, letting out a primal scream as she did so. The phone shattered and the ringing ceased.

Smirking, Vegeta leaned down to her ear. "Feel better?" he whispered.

Bulma nearly fell off the couch when she heard Vegeta's voice in her left ear and his breath on her neck. She turned around and looked at him. "Asshole!" She accentuated her words with hitting with a small pillow.

Vegeta frowned down at her. He crossed his arms. "Cherry has finished dinner. Come eat," he said.

"I'm not hungry," Bulma said quickly.

"I don't believe that I was asking you. Your aunt expects to see you at dinner." Vegeta leaned down to her face. "I will drag you kicking and screaming if I have to," he said in a low voice.

Bulma rolled her eyes and pushed him away as she stood. "Fine. Apparently you seem to think she won't feed you if I don't come along." She stalked past him and out of the cottage. Vegeta simply smirked and followed after her.

* * *

Goku looked very uncomfortable at the table. The food was set out and waiting to be devoured. However, Cherry refused to let him fix his plate until Vegeta and Bulma made it to the table. He heard the door to the house open and released a sigh of relief. The moment Vegeta and Bulma sat, Goku looked at Cherry.

"Go ahead, Goku," she said with a smile. Goku grinned back at her and immediately began to pile food onto his plate. Vegeta followed suit. Bulma, Frank, and Cherry waited until the two had done their damage before fixing their own plates.

"Vegeta and Goku, there are some movie producers coming by in a few days to look at the Clydes," Frank said while cutting into his steak.

Bulma looked at her uncle immediately. "You still breed Clydesdales, Uncle Frank?" she asked through a mouth full of biscuit.

"Chew your food, Bulma," Cherry said from her end of the table.

Bulma rolled her eyes and swallowed her food. "You still have the Clydesdales, Uncle Frank? I thought you gave them up," he said.

Frank shrugged and smiled. "I love the Clydes, Blue. What makes you think I would give them up? Plus, they make me a lot of money. They're really popular during the summer and fall. You know, for the festivals and such." He turned his gaze to Vegeta and Goku. "So please have the Clydes groomed and such by noon Tuesday. That gives you two three and a half days."

"You got it, Frank!" Goku said with a cheery smile. Vegeta simply grunted his compliance.

The doorbell rang. Before anyone could get up to answer it, Chichi and Juu burst into the kitchen. Juu was dressed in a canary yellow dress with ruffles and matching heels. Chichi wore a short dark pink dress and black heels. They looked down at Goku and Vegeta and appeared angry with them.

Chichi rolled her eyes and looked at Cherry. "Hello, Ms. Cherry. We're here to pick up Goku and Vegeta. They were supposed to be ready."

Goku slapped his forehead. "Oh, I forgot to tell Vegeta! Then I forgot myself..."

"Tell me what, Kakarrot?" Vegeta asked, not looking up from his meal.

"Well, uh, Juu is spinning at _Apple__Tree_. So she wanted us to come along with her tonight. If I remember correctly, they wanted you to bring Bulma along." Goku looked over at Chichi and Juu, who were shaking their heads. "I'm sorry! I forgot!"

"Well, we're here now. Are you guys gonna come with us or not? Goku, if you're coming we still have to take you home in order for you to get dressed," Chichi said. She looked very aggravated with the situation.

"I'm coming! Thanks for the dinner, Ms. Cherry!" Goku said. He made to pick his plate up but Cherry shook her head. Goku sat the plate back down and looked at Vegeta. "Are you gonna come?"

Vegeta finished scraping his plate clean. He glared over at Chichi and Juu. Then he looked up at Goku. "No."

"Aw, come on, Vegeta!"

"No."

Bulma cleared her throat, gaining Vegeta's attention. "If I come, will you go?"

"Woman, after what you did to me yesterday, I don't want to get in a car with you ever again," Vegeta said bluntly.

Bulma narrowed her eyes. "Will you go if we take my car?" she asked.

"I'm not riding in that electric shaver of a car you drive."

"Electric shaver? My Mercedes doesn't look like..."

Juu cleared her throat loudly. "Well, Goku come with us. We'll let these two lovebirds fight it out. Vegeta knows where we're going. We'll see if Vegeta gets off his lazy bum and goes. See you later, Blue." She turned and left the room. Chichi grabbed Goku and pulled him out as he waved at the others.

Cherry was already moving around and gathering plates as the other three left. "They are such nice girls. Vegeta, you should take Blue out on the town tonight. This is her vacation, after all," she said. Vegeta gave Cherry an evil eye. The older woman was completely immune to his dirty looks. She simply smiled at him.

"I'm tired," was Vegeta's response.

"Let's just go!" Bulma stood up. She walked around the table and pulled Vegeta to his feet. He watched her with widened eyes. "I call shower first!" She took off out the door.

Vegeta did not fully understand what just happened. He blinked a few times as he saw Bulma disappear outside. Coming out of his momentary stupor, he took off after her.

Frank chuckled to himself. "I sure hope they don't kill each other trying to use the shower."

* * *

About an hour later, Bulma walked out of her room. She shut the door and walked down the hall. She could hear shuffling in the kitchen area. When she got there, she saw Vegeta. He had his back to her. Bulma stood there for a moment, admiring him from behind. He only wore a white tank top and a pair of jeans but he managed to look so painfully delectable in them. Bulma took a deep breath and opened her mouth to speak.

"It's about time," Vegeta said before Bulma could call out to him. He turned around to look at her. He'd been prepared to mutter something demeaning about her appearance. However, his insult was stopped in his throat when he saw Bulma's outfit. She wore a white peasant shirt and a silver miniskirt. She had on silver heels and her hair fell around her semi-bared shoulders.

"Well, I'm ready to go," Bulma said. She had not noticed Vegeta's staring. He seemed to blink out of his trance when she spoke. "You want the keys?" She began to pull her car keys from her wristlet.

Vegeta walked past her without taking the keys. Bulma rolled her eyes and followed him outside. She locked the door and caught up with him. She stopped when she saw what he was walking up to. Before she could utter anything against it, Vegeta tossed her a helmet. Bulma had to think fast. She managed to catch the round black helmet.

Vegeta put his own helmet on and swung his leg over his motorcycle. He looked back at Bulma. "You don't _**HAVE**_ to come with me. I'll be more than happy to leave you." He started his ride up.

"Vegeta, I'm wearing a skirt!"

"That's not my problem, is it?"

Bulma resisted the urge to throw the helmet she had back at Vegeta. Instead she put it on as she stalked up to his sleek, black motorcycle. In the dim light she could make out where she should sit. She had never been on a motorcycle. Yamcha was always trying to get her to ride on one of his to which she always declined. Once she managed to get on she just sat there, waiting for Vegeta to move.

Vegeta sighed. "Hold on," he said.

It took Bulma a moment to get what he meant. She nodded and leaned forward. She wrapped her arms timidly around Vegeta's midsection. She tried to take her mind off of how solid he felt. She rested her head against his shoulder. Before she knew it, they were off.


	5. Chapter 5: Everclear

**Paradisio**

**Chapter 5: Everclear**

* * *

Chichi sat behind the DJ's booth with Krillyn and Goku. Juu was just ahead of them at the tables, doing her job. Juu was the guest DJ for the night. It always amazed Chichi how she could stand for about 4 hours straight spinning records in pink slopes. She took a sip of her Cosmopolitan and looked over at Krillyn and Goku.

"Do you guys think Vegeta and Bulma will come?" she asked over the music.

Goku shrugged. "I dunno, Chichi. You know once Vegeta puts his mind to something it's hard to get him to change his it. He's so stubborn sometimes," he said.

"Understatement of the year, Goku. I'll never get how anyone puts up with him," Krillyn said.

"We don't. I get the feeling Vegeta puts up with us sometimes," Chichi mumbled.

* * *

Vegeta came to an abrupt stop at the valet for _AppleTree_. Bulma's breath caught as she slid further down the seat, her skirt hiking up even more than it already was. She opened her eyes as she had them closed the entire ride. She released Vegeta, realizing that she had been holding him extremely tight.

"Get off, woman," Vegeta said as he removed his helmet.

Frowning under helmet, Bulma did as he said. She managed to do it without flashing the entire line outside her goods. She discreetly pulled her skirt down a bit and removed her helmet, shaking her hair out. She handed her helmet to one of the valets as Vegeta had done. Another valet walked off with his ride.

"Come on," Vegeta murmured. Bulma tagged after him. They went directly to the door, where Vegeta told the bouncer his name and who he was with. To Bulma's surprise, they were let in immediately. She could hear the groans of the people in the line outside.

_I __guess __Vegeta __and __Juu __have __some __major __pull __in __this __town_, she thought as they entered the hot, sweaty club. The music was loud and she struggled to stay close to Vegeta as they made their way around the place. Instinctively, she grabbed onto Vegeta's hand in order to stay close to him. It was not long before they came to the DJ's booth. Bulma looked up and saw Juu spinning.

* * *

Juu glanced up from the turntables and saw Vegeta pulling Bulma up the steps to the booth. Smirking, she gestured behind her. Vegeta nodded and kept moving, pulling Bulma along.

Chichi smiled when she saw Vegeta enter with Bulma. She stood up and walked over to them. She frowned a bit when Vegeta pushed past her without even a glance. Then she looked at Bulma and continued to smile.

"Hi, Chichi," Bulma said, trying to speak loudly.

"Hey! You look amazing, Bulma!" Chichi took Bulma's hand and led her to the table. "Do you want something to drink?"

Bulma hummed to herself for a moment. "How about a Pink Lady?" she asked.

Chichi clapped. "Good choice." She looked lazily at Vegeta. "I assume you're the driver. Want a soda?" she asked.

Vegeta stared at her blankly for a moment before smirking. "Give me a Bloody Mary," he said.

Chichi sighed. "Ok. But you only get one," she said sternly. Vegeta shrugged. Rolling her eyes she pulled Bulma along with her. Bulma hurriedly threw Vegeta her wristlet and followed Chichi.

Vegeta looked at the shiny silver thing in his lap. He frowned at it and discarded it on the leather booth. _Why __did __she __toss __it __to __me? __I __don__'__t __want __to __be __seen __holding __something __so __feminine_, he thought dismally.

Juu came over to them as the house DJ took over for a few minutes. "So how did you two get here? I thought you weren't going to drive and I know you wouldn't be caught dead in a Mercedes," she said as she slid in the booth next to Krillyn.

"How else? My bike," Vegeta stated plainly.

"You made her ride here on that thing? Vegeta, you're reckless enough as it is on your own in that thing. Why involve Bulma?" Juu asked as she sipped on her own Mojito. "She's a pretty important person, you know."

This piqued Vegeta's interest. He looked at Juu out of the corner of his eye. "Important? How is she important?"

"She was in one of Chichi's magazines. Apparently she's the VP of Capsule Corp. I wonder what she's doing so far from Wall Street," Juu said.

Vegeta hummed to himself. At first glance, she did not appear like she was president of anything. Bulma looked more like a trophy wife than anything. _That __explains __why __she __seems __so __smart. __She__'__s __a __scientist_, he thought. _Still, __what __is __she __doing __all __the __way __in __Texas_?

* * *

Downstairs at the bar, Chichi and Bulma were waiting for the drinks to be made. Chichi had ordered a round of tequila shots for everyone. Chichi looked down at Bulma's heels and smiled.

"That's about a five-inch heel, isn't it?" she asked. "Interesting design on the platform. I've only seen that type in fashion magazines. Where do you even buy that type of shoe?"

Bulma looked over at her. Then she looked down at the shoes she wore. "Oh. They were a gift. My mother got them for me. It's hard to find shoes like this in my size. I have relatively small feet," she said.

"I see. You sure you can dance in those?" Chichi said with a grin.

"I didn't plan on it."

"Bulma, who comes to a club and doesn't dance? Even Vegeta dances!"

Bulma had to blink at that one. "Vegeta dances? I think I'd have to see it to believe it. He just seems so... stuffy. You seem to know a lot about shoes."

"That's because I make them. I own a boutique here."

"You make your own clothes?"

Chichi gestured down to her own dress. "Juu also wears a lot of my stuff. Nothing fancy. Just something I love to do. You know what they say? Do something you love and you'll never work a day in your life."

"That's a good philosophy," Bulma said quietly.

Their drinks were served up and they headed back towards the booth that the others occupied. Bulma did not notice that she had caught the eyes of a few of the male clubbers. She simply made her way back to the booth completely oblivious to the others.

Bulma's new groupies did not escape the eyes of Juu, though. The pretty blonde calmly continued to sip her drink as Bulma and Chichi slid back into their booth. Notorious for weaving her friends in her mischievous web, Juu leaned across the table, beckoning to Bulma. The blue-haired genius met Juu halfway, bending over Vegeta in the process.

"What is it?" Bulma asked.

"When I get up for my final spin of the night, you're going to dance," Juu said, a certain finality in her voice. She noticed the somewhat flabbergasted look on Bulma's face. Smirking in triumph, Juu sat back in her seat.

Chichi giggled as she looked at Bulma's mortified face. "Don't look so scared, Bulma! Hopefully you'll have someone to dance with. You've garnered a fan club." She motioned towards the guys below the booth that kept glancing towards her.

Bulma raised an eyebrow as she looked towards them. She looked away and began chugging her Pink Lady faster than she would have liked to.

* * *

After about 30 minutes of conversation, Bulma was beginning to feel the symptons of tipsiness. She ran a hand through her hair, forgetting Vegeta was sitting next to her. He shifted awkwardly in his space on the booth. Bulma turned and looked at him, chuckling at him before looking back towards the crowd. The others talked behind her about subjects she did not know about. That was when Bulma saw her.

A woman with long black hair was sauntering up to them. Bulma had to do a double-take on what she was wearing. It was so low cut that the slightest ill-advised movement would have her... lady parts exposed to them; all three of them. She walked right up to the table and placed her hands down on it. She leaned forward. Her obviously enhanced breasts threatened to fall out.

Bulma looked back at the others. Juu looked at her indifferently. Krillyn was looking anywhere but at the woman. Goku was too busy with the nachos he'd ordered a short while ago. Chichi was glaring at the woman, trying to will her into nonexistence. Vegeta was the only one who looked at her like he did not want to kill her. Still, his ever-present frown was there. Bulma decided it would always be hard to decipher exactly what he was thinking. She glanced back at the woman. She had her eyes fixed on Vegeta.

"What do you want, Mai?" Chichi asked, going back to moving the olive around in her martini.

The woman now known as Mai ignored Chichi completely and kept her gaze on Vegeta. She leaned further in, coming dangerously close to Bulma. All Bulma did at the moment was scoot further into the booth, coming into contact with Vegeta. Vegeta found her distress amusing.

"You haven't been answering my calls, Vegeta," Mai said. She spoke slowly and sensually.

"I know," Vegeta stated plainly.

"You know, when someone doesn't answer your calls it usually means that they don't want to speak to you," Juu said as she reached across the table to take one of Goku's nachos. She gave Mai a narrow eye. Her distaste for Mai was not nearly as potent as Chichi's, but Juu was very protective of people she called her friends. Believe it or not, Vegeta fell under that category. She considered him a friend even if he claimed he was not.

Mai gave Juu a scathing glare before smiling. Then she looked back at Vegeta. "Well, if you're not going to answer my calls, the least you could do is dance with me. You owe me that much since I _**ALLOWED**_ you to crash at my place," she said. "You do owe me, after all."

Vegeta's eyes narrowed almost to the point of slits. _Why __do __I __keep __finding __myself __in __these __situations __with __this __woman_? he thought tersely. If it was up to Mai, she would follow him around all day, every day. He had no idea why she was so infatuated with him. He barely gave her a passing glance most times, but she was _**ALWAYS**_ bugging him.

Either Mai could not take a hint, or she just did not care. Vegeta guessed it was the latter.

As Vegeta moved to get up, he touched Bulma's shoulder. Bulma looked back at him. She began to scoot out of the seat. She came to a stop when she realized Mai was blocking her way. The scantily-clad woman was glaring down at Bulma with her hands on her hips. Bulma steeled herself and stood up, making Mai step back.

"Who are you? I haven't seen you around town," Mai said. With the height of their heels, they stood at the exact same height.

Bulma, being no slouch in the bust area, stood with her back straight. She was threatening to knock Mai down. She frowned at the other woman as she caught a whiff of the perfume she was drenched in. Bulma dared not to give her a genuine once-over; she was afraid she would catch sight of something she'd be scrubbing her corneas over when she got back to the ranch.

Vegeta found the standoff between Bulma and Mai somewhat entertaining. Before Bulma could answer Mai's inquiry, he grabbed the raven-haired woman by the arm and dragged her away from the group. Mai almost tripped over her feet but recovered quickly.

"Who was she, Vegeta?" Mai asked as he pulled her through the crowd.

Vegeta fought the urge to roll his eyes. "No one you should concern yourself with," he said as they came to a darkened part of the dance floor. The last thing he wanted was to be seen by someone while dancing with Mai. He knew all too well how she danced. She would draw attention to herself any way she could.

Bulma sat back down in a huff. The tipsy feeling she had been enjoying quickly disintegrated while she had been in Mai's presence. The other woman reeked of evil. How one could walk out the house wearing something _**THAT**_ revealing was beyond her. Had she know self-respect?

_Obviously __not. __I __wonder __why __Vegeta __associates __himself __with __her. __With __his __looks, __I__'__m __sure __he __can __do __far __better __than __that_, Bulma thought, downing the rest of her second Pink Lady. She turned towards the group.

"Who was that?" she asked.

Juu smirked. "Mai Pilaf, the village whore. She might as well walk around with a scarlet letter pasted on her. Only instead of an _A_ she should put a _W_," she said.

"I can only imagine what perverse things she's trying to do to Vegeta right now," Chichi said with a disgusted face.

"You guys are being too harsh." Goku finally looked up from his nachos; or rather, where the nachos used to be. "Mai's nice to me," he said.

"That's because you're of the male persuasion and taken. The only single man she has any interest in is Vegeta. Plus, everyone is nice to you, Goku," Juu said. She flexed her fingers. "About ten minutes until I go back up there. What are we doing afterwards?"

"What do you mean by that? We aren't just going home?" Krillyn asked.

"It's Friday, Krillyn. Since there's nothing to do tomorrow, I figured we could have fun tonight." Juu glanced over at Bulma. "What about you, Blue? How do you feel about... shots?" she asked.

Bulma blinked. She had not taken shots since the party days in her early college years. _Well, __that__'__s __not __**ENTIRELY **__true. __I __don__'__t __count __the __random __tequila __shots __whenever __Yamcha __and __I __would __go __out_, she mused.

She shrugged. "That sounds like fun."

Chichi smiled. "I warn you, Bulma. When we do shots, we _**DO **__**SHOTS**_," she said.

Juu stood up and stretched her arms. "Time for me to return to 'work.' This shouldn't take too long. I think about fifty-five minutes should do it. Remember what I said, Blue. I don't care if you have to go out there by your lonesome. I'm sure someone will eventually dance with you." She stared to make her way back to the tables.

_I __hope __she __doesn__'__t __expect __me __to __dance __for __fifty-five __minutes __straight_, Bulma thought.

The crowd seemed to notice Juu coming back to spin and cheered a bit for her. Juu waved out at them, a smirk on her face. She stepped up to the mic and turned it on.

* * *

Vegeta looked towards the tables as he heard Juu speaking out at the crowd. Usually when she did her final set, it got significantly darker in the club. The only lights that they were afforded were strobe lights and laser lights. They also turned on some kind of mist machine. That was the time Vegeta usually sat out. The dance floor became packed with women who didn't care who they were dancing against and men who took full advantage of that situation.

He callously pushed Mai away from him. She did not protest as she had already found someone new to dance with. Sighing, he steeled himself as he began to make his way back to the booth.

* * *

Bulma watched the dance floor flood with apprehensive eyes. She next felt Chichi pushing her out the booth. She was yelling at Goku about something. The next thing she knew, Chichi was pulling her to the dance floor. The duo stopped at Juu's table, picking up two shots each and downing them.

_Vodka. __I__'__d __been __expecting __tequila. __Nothing __like __a __little __liquid __courage __to __ease __the __tension_, she thought as Chichi pulled her towards the center of the dance floor.

Before either knew what was happening they were dancing along with the crowd. It was hot and sticky and everyone smelled like different alcoholic drinks. Bulma lost count how many times someone bumped into her and just started dancing along with her. She had to have gone through about six dance partners. Chichi was no better off. Bulma was surprised. Just by looking at Chichi she would have never guessed she was such a party animal.

* * *

Vegeta roughly pushed his way through the crowd. Everyone was too involved with their dancing to notice how rude he was being. He just continued trudging his way through them. The mist was starting to get on his nerves. It always amazed him how the women managed to stay on their feet in their heels with all the moisture around them.

By the time he got halfway through them, Vegeta was hot, sticky, and irritated beyond belief. He briefly contemplated leaving Bulma here and going back to the ranch. But then he'd never hear the end of it from Cherry. Cursing his providence, he stopped when something caught his eye in the darkness.

Among a sea of darkness, he could see aqua and white. He immediately recognized the woman as Bulma. He found it odd that he could pick her out through the sea of bodies. By now her shirt was sticking to her. Her hair that was once full of body was damp and slicked back. Vegeta did not know why, but he diverted his path and made his way over to her. He could see Chichi not too far from them dancing with who he assumed was Goku.

* * *

Bulma swung around. She did know if it was the alcohol driving her, but she was having the most fun she'd had in a very long time. Whenever she went to clubs with Yamcha it was nothing like this. He spent far too much time watching other women dance rather than joining in. Needless to say, she was always bored to tears. She shook her head, pushing Yamcha as far from her thoughts as possible. When she turned around again, she bumped into a solid chest.

While she'd been bumping into several people, no one had been near as solid as the person who stood before her. She actually squinted to see who was in front of her. The first thing she noticed was the hair that defied the laws of gravity. There was only one person she knew with such hair.

_Vegeta_. Bulma resumed her dancing with him standing right there. She leaned in closer to him. _Let__'__s __see __if __he__'__s __all __Juu __was __making __him __out __to __be_.

* * *

Vegeta knew she was slightly inebriated. He could both smell it and see it in her bright eyes. If she knew who he was, she apparently did not care. As they so close they were practically one body, Vegeta had no choice but to move along with her. She was definitely a very aggressive dancer.

Chichi saw Bulma out of the corner of her eye. Sometime during the set, Goku had come to join her and now she danced only with him. She elbowed Goku lightly in the stomach. He leaned further in to hear her.

"Look over there!" she yelled over the music.

Goku followed where Chichi was nodding. He could vaguely make out Bulma. It was hard not to spot her. But then he saw the unmistakable hair of Vegeta. He let out a small chuckle. "I wish we had a camera for this moment."

"Bulma probably won't remember a thing about it. Besides, Juu's set is almost over. We should start heading back to beat the stampede," Chichi said. Goku nodded and took hold of her hand.

Chichi tapped Bulma on her shoulder. The other woman turned to see her leaving the dance floor. Shaking out of her trance, she stepped away from Vegeta, almost tripping on her feet. He took the initiative and pulled her along, following Chichi and Goku.

Juu was into her last mix. Behind her, Krillyn was packing up her records. She saw the other four making their way back up to the booth. It did not escape her sight that Vegeta was holding onto Bulma's hand. She also had spotted them dancing together.

_One __wonders __what __will __happen __tonight_, she thought impishly.

Bulma picked up her wristlet. She knew her hair was a mess. She tried not to imagine what her shirt looked like on her body. Hopefully on the ride home both her hair and her shirt would dry out some. At the moment, she just wanted to get out of her shoes. 45 minutes of nonstop dancing was taking its toll on her.

Juu finished her set and the crowd applauded. After thanking them, she let the house DJ take back over. She gathered her things and followed the others out of the club. When they all got outside, they stood and waited for the valets to bring their vehicles around.

"So, are we all going to Vegeta's for shots and breakfast?" Juu asked into the air.

Vegeta could tell that everyone was looking at him. He glared back at them all. They were all giving him pathetic looks. Sighing, he thanked whatever gods there were that his motorcycle came up first. The valet gave him the helmets and she tossed won at Bulma. She caught it, frowning slightly before putting it on.

"See you at the ranch, Vegeta," Goku said as if it was sure thing that they would all be there; let alone be allowed _**INSIDE**_.

Vegeta glared at them as he mounted his bike. He stared at them for a moment. "Only if I get to pick the poison," he said. The others shrugged. With their compliance, he started his bike and waited for Bulma to sit down behind him. She sat but did not hold on. Sighing, Vegeta gave the bike a little gas. Bulma nearly fell off before wrapping her arms around Vegeta's waist.

"Not funny, Vegeta!" Bulma hissed in his ear.

Under his helmet, Vegeta smirked. "Don't throw up in my helmet, woman," he said in response.

Bulma smirked as she rested her head on her shoulder. "You're not a bad dancer," she said just loud enough so that he could hear.

Vegeta blinked. He grunted in reply to her words and took off, leaving the others behind.

* * *

When they got back to the ranch, Bulma mumbled something about getting out of her heels and went inside quickly. Vegeta was surprised she had managed to stay awake the whole ride. She was not as drunk as she seemed, apparently. He wheeled his bike into the garage and locked it up before following her inside.

Bulma was in the kitchen getting a bottle of water. She closed the refrigerator and saw Vegeta peeling off his shirt. He balled it up in his hand and kept walking towards his bedroom. Bulma's water sputtered out of the bottle as she opened it. She had not even realized that she was squeezing the bottle. She was paying too much attention to Vegeta. She looked up to see him smirking and approaching her. He sauntered right past her.

"You're such a clumsy woman," he said as he opened a cabinet behind her. He pulled out a bottle and sat it down on the counter. He next went in search of shot glasses.

Bulma finished cleaning her mess. When she stood up, she saw the bottle of liquor Vegeta had chosen for their shots. Her eyes widened. She glanced back up at Vegeta as he returned with several shot glasses. He noticed her staring at him with an amazed look. He simply reached past her to retrieve the bottle and went towards the living room.

"Vegeta, you can't be serious!" Bulma yelled after him.

Vegeta rolled his eyes. "What? Have you never had this before?" he asked as he sat everything down on the coffee table. He could hear his noisy friends pulling up outside. He hoped they would not be so loud as to wake Frank and Cherry. He looked back at Bulma. He looked at her shirt. "You might want to get out of that shirt, woman."

Not understanding why he would mention her shirt, Bulma looked down at her chest. The ride home had done little to dry her shirt. It was very much see-through. She immediately crossed her arms over her chest, feeling the blush coming to her face. She noticed Vegeta was still smirking.

_I __wish __I __could __slap __that __self-righteous __smirk __off __his __face_, Bulma thought as she hurried to her room. She heard the front door opening and the others coming inside.

Juu whistled when she saw what Vegeta had picked for their shots. "You really know how to pick your poisons, Vegeta. Are you trying to see which one of us succumbs to alcohol poisoning first?" she asked.

Vegeta set up six shot glasses on the table. He sat down and began filling each glass. "Everclear isn't that strong," he said.

Krillyn shook his head as he took a seat with Juu across from Vegeta. "Vegeta, that's one of the strongest drinks on the planet. I'm not even sure you're supposed to drink it straight."

Vegeta closed the bottle of 190-proof Everclear. It took an awful lot for him to get drunk. According to his acquaintances, he was very friendly while he was drunk. Luckily for him, Vegeta did not get drunk too often. He could not even remember why he had gotten drunk earlier and had to spend the night at Mai's.

_I __don__'__t __remember __a __lot __about __that __night_, he thought as he heard the door to Bulma's door open.

Bulma walked back out in shorts and a t-shirt and tying her damp hair up into a sloppy bun. She sat on the sofa next to Vegeta. She saw the shot glasses were already filled. She looked around at the group. Sighing, she reached forward and took the shot glass closest to her. Praying that her esophagus would not set on fire, she downed the drink in one gulp. It felt like someone had stuck a hot poker down her throat.

Vegeta was surprised at how easily she seemed to take it. He was the last to take his shot. He swallowed it as if he was simply drinking water. Then he looked around the room.

Chichi had a hand to her chest as she tried to get over the burning sensation. Goku was already retrieving bottles of water from the kitchen. Juu was simply laughing it off and Krillyn looked like he was going to be sick. Vegeta simply sighed and begin refilling the shots.

"Okay! This time we do it all at once!" Juu said loudly. They all got closer to the table and picked up their respective glasses. They held them up. "One, two, three!"

Bulma squeezed her eyes shut until the burning sensation passed. The stuff was like drinking liquid fire. She looked over at Vegeta. He seemed perfectly fine. Where everyone else had looked in some sort of discomfort, he looked completely at ease.

"Your throat must be made of iron," she said as she wiped her eyes. For some reason, she could feel them tearing up. "This stuff is like drinking rubbing alcohol."

Vegeta looked over at her. He could tell she was starting to feel the effects. It did not take long for anyone to get drunk off the stuff. "I'm used to it by now," he simply stated.

Bulma smirked and looked out at the others. They were laughing around and joking with each other. She would later blame her next actions on the alcohol. She looked at Vegeta once more. "So, Chichi said that you're the only guy that's single that Mai goes after. Is that true?"

Her question caught him completely off guard. What did she care if he was single? Vegeta's expression must have changed because Bulma started giggling. She poured herself another shot and downed it immediately. Vegeta followed suit. Hopefully, the alcohol would knock her out.

"You didn't answer my question," she said.

Vegeta glared back at her, frown in place. "She likes to go after what she can't have," he said.

"But you're single. Why can't she have you?" Bulma asked. Her eyelids felt very heavy all of a sudden. She did not even realize that she was leaning towards Vegeta as she waited for his answer.

"Because _**I**_ don't want _**HER**_," Vegeta replied. He found Bulma quite humorous when she was drunk. At least, when she wasn't snoring or puking she was humorous.

Bulma hiccupped. "Oh, I think you should give her a chance. Anyone who spends that much money on their body deserves a..." She couldn't finish as she burst into uncontrollable laughter.

"Woman, you are drunk."

"I am not." Bulma attempted to sit up straight but ended up falling off the sofa. She landed on Goku. It caused a domino-effect. Once Goku went down, he pushed Chichi, who knocked into Juu, who spilled her next shot on Krillyn. Krillyn jumped up as the drink got on his face. Snickering, Juu helped him to the bathroom to wash his face.

Bulma climbed back on the sofa, trying to stifle her laughter. She looked at Vegeta. He did not look amused, but Bulma could see in his eyes that he was laughing at the situation; but mostly he was laughing at her.

"So what is it that you do exactly, woman?"

Bulma shrugged. "I invent stuff. I love inventing. What I hate is the business aspect. I like being in a lab, tinkering with heavy machinery, and covered in grease. I'll take that over being in an office any day," she said. Her words were barely clear enough. She had started to slur her words together. "That's why I came down here. That and I got tired of my idiot boyfriend."

Vegeta raised an eyebrow. "Boyfriend?"

"Yeah. I date some lame baseball player. I'm ninety-nine percent sure he's cheating on me. Hell, he's probably with some random broad as we speak!" Bulma rolled over on her back. "Meh. Fuck him. I think he got the message when I told him off earlier."

"You told someone off?" Vegeta asked with a smirk. He almost laughed as she tried to focus her eyes on him.

"Yep." She noticed his incredulous look. "What?"

"You don't look like you could tell anyone off."

"Is that so?" Bulma rolled over and got on all fours. She started to crawl towards Vegeta. He watched her warily, not completely sure she would not blow chunks in his face. She got dangerously close to his face. "Well, lemme tell you something, your majesty. I can tell anyone I want to off. That includes you." She poked him in his bare chest with a finger.

"I still don't believe you, woman."

"Well, next time I see that big-breasted bimbo of yours I'll be sure to give her a piece of mind." Bulma's arm slipped up from under her. She almost fell into his lap but amazingly caught herself. Giggling, Bulma looked back up into his face. "Did I tell you that you're a great dancer?"

She passed out into his lap.

Vegeta stared down at her. He vaguely heard cheering in the background from Chichi and Juu. Goku had already passed out and Krillyn was lamenting his face. Shaking his head, Vegeta tried to move Bulma off him. She seemed to want to stay where she was and appeared to resist him as she slept.

"Best to just let her sleep it off," Juu said. She snorted when she saw Vegeta's face. "Why the sour face? There's a hot chick in your lap. Thousands of men would kill to be in your position."

"Shut your trap, harpy," Vegeta said. He looked down at Bulma and forcefully maneuvered her around so that her face wasn't near his crotch. He managed to get her into his arms and stood. He looked down at the others. "Keep quiet. Some of us have to work in the morning."

Chichi and Juu saluted him as he stalked off to put Bulma to bed. Chichi leaned over to Juu. "Think we can get those two together?"

"Pffft! I have a feeling if we just sit back and watch, they'll do that all on their own. Normally, Vegeta would have just pushed her off," Juu said.

Chichi scoffed. "It could be the fact that Bulma is his boss' niece. I doubt manhandling her would reflect well." Then she shrugged.

"When has that ever stopped Vegeta from being rude to a girl?" the blonde asked.

"Good point," Chichi said with a giggle.


	6. Chapter 6: A Deal

**Paradisio**

**Chapter 6: A Deal**

* * *

Bulma's face scrunched up as she awoke. It felt like someone was beating her between the eyes with a sledgehammer. She groaned and rolled over. What she did not realize was that she was already at the end of her bed. She rolled right off the edge and landed on the floor with a thud.

_I can already see how this day is going to turn out_, she thought dismally. She finally opened her eyes and realized that she was back in her room. _I don't remember going to bed, though_.

It all came back faster than her sore head could manage. She had passed out the night before. She had passed out _**IN VEGETA'S LAP**_. Bulma slapped her forehead, letting out a forlorn groan. She jumped when she heard a beating on her bedroom door.

"Cherry wants you at breakfast, woman!" came Vegeta's voice from just outside her door.

Bulma moaned as she rolled over on her stomach. She pushed herself off the floor. She stood up and wobbled. Her equilibrium was quite off. The pounding in her head only increased tenfold. She staggered her way to the door. She slowly opened it.

"Hey, Bulma!" Goku's happy-go-lucky voice said as he passed by. His mouth was covered in suds from toothpaste as he brushed furiously.

Bulma blinked, taking in Goku's form. Despite drinking so much the night before, Goku seemed to be perfectly fine. _I envy him_, she thought as she dragged her feet towards the bathroom.

Vegeta watched Bulma disappear into the bathroom out of the corner of his eye. He smirked when he noticed how completely out of sorts she looked. _Someone can't hold their liquor_. Truth was that he also had a hangover, however he dealt with it far better than his acquaintances. Juu, Chichi, and Krillyn were also suffering from the effects of the Everclear. Goku never seemed effected by hangovers. That had to be the only thing he resented about his friend. _The simple fool is immune to everything_.

Cherry had just finished setting the table. She knew Vegeta and Bulma had guests, so she made extra food for them. She figured they would be late getting for breakfast, so she had set it back by only 30 minutes; 9:30am. Vegeta and Goku knew enough not to ever be late for meals. Cherry was not so sure if Bulma and the others knew, though.

"Now to set the food out." The blonde woman bustled back into the kitchen to set out the dishes. She could hear the footsteps of her guests. By the heaviness, she could tell that Vegeta and Goku were coming.

Goku was first in the dining room. "Mornin', Miss Cherry!" he said happily and loudly as he took a seat at one of the places. Cherry smiled at him as she sat a plate of bacon and a plate of biscuits down. Goku looked hungrily at both. He reached out to take a small piece of bacon but Cherry smacked his hand.

"Goku, you know there's no eating until everyone is present." Cherry looked at Vegeta, who just slouched down in his seat. "Where's everyone else? Did you tell them to come, Vegeta?"

Vegeta glared up at the older woman. Her voice was high-pitched and it was not doing anything for his minor headache. He looked away from her. "I told the woman and Kakarrot's friends to come to breakfast. If they're late, it isn't my problem," he said.

Cherry raised an eyebrow. She sighed and returned to the kitchen. She returned with a bowl of grits and a plate of cinnamon buns. The last thing she brought out was a fruit salad and a platter piled high with pancakes. Frank came in behind her carrying pitchers of juice and milk. By the time the table was completely set, Bulma and the others had filed in slowly.

Bulma stole glances at the other three. Krillyn looked like he was still asleep. Chichi just kept rubbing her temples. Juu had a deep frown on her face. _At least I'm not the only one feeling like utter shit_, Bulma thought. She glanced down at the table that was set before her. _Where does Aunt Cherry find the time to make all of this_?

"You may eat now, Goku," Cherry said as she sat down.

Goku immediately started piling food on his plate. Vegeta did the same. The other four were a bit slower to get their plates fixed. Once the hurricane of hands passed, Frank and Cherry filled their own plates.

"I take it you kids had a great time last night," Frank said jovially. There was a chorus of unintelligible responses. Frank could only smile. He looked at Vegeta and Goku. "You boys remember what I said about those Clydes, right?" he said through a mouth full of eggs.

"Yes, sir," Goku said while looking up from his food momentarily.

Vegeta simply grumbled his response. Truth be told, he was in no mood to take care of the horses. But, he knew better than to ask for a day off. It was his own fault he had a hangover and he wasn't going to complain about it. He simply kept eating in silence.

Bulma stole sneaky glances at Vegeta. She could see that his permanent frown seemed deeper than usual. Either he was mad or he had a very bad headache. She smirked, hoping it was the latter.

* * *

After breakfast, Chichi insisted that she help Cherry with the dishes. Cherry eventually agreed to let Chichi help. Bulma trudged back to the cottage with Juu and Krillyn. The walk back was brutal.

"It's too damn bright out here. Doesn't it ever get cloudy in Texas?" Bulma moaned, shielding her eyes from the intruding sunlight.

Beside her, Juu laughed. "Nope. It's always sunny in Texas. Of course, when it _**DOES**_ rain, it usually doesn't dilly-dally around. Weather is pretty solid in Texas," she said with a hint of sarcasm in her voice.

"What does that mean?"

"Well," Krillyn stepped up on Bulma's other side, "it means that it either is or it isn't. If it rains, it doesn't drizzle. It pours. I'm a firm believer that Texas doesn't have four seasons. We have winter and summer. It's either hot or cold. There is no in-between."

Bulma giggled a bit. "That's fascinating. Do you work tonight?" she asked Juu.

Juu shook her head as she stretched. "Nope. I'm off on the weekends. I'll probably hang out at Chichi's for awhile. She's getting ready to start looking for models for her fall catalogue. Maybe you should stop by," she said.

"Sure. I have to do some work here first."

Bulma soon emerged from the cottage after a proper shower. Her hangover had subsided some, but there was still a dull ache at the back of her head. She shoved her hands in the pockets of her shorts and started to head over to the stable. When she got there, she immediately went to Hinotama's stall. The horse whinnied when she saw Bulma was there. Smiling, Bulma opened the stall.

"Let's stretch your legs," she said as she led the mare out of the stable.

Vegeta was leading a few horses back into another stable not too far away from the one where Hinotama was kept. He saw her walking out with Hinotama. He had to admit that she had a pretty decent set of stems. He was brought from his ogle-fest by Frank's voice.

"Vegeta, those three are for the state fair later. Put them in the last stalls in the first stable," the older man said. Vegeta waved his hand and began to lead the three horses towards Bulma's area.

Frank was an old man, but he was not blind. Though the two had only known each other for a few days, he could see the budding attraction between Bulma and Vegeta. He was not usually one to meddle and play matchmaker like his wife, but for his favorite niece he could make an exception.

Bulma watched Hinotama circle the paddock. The mare seemed to be taking in her surroundings while Bulma tied a secure knot in a rope. She took her eyes off of the horse for a moment to concentrate on her rope. Somehow, the knot did not appear right. _It's been so long since I've done this that I don't even remember what the correct knot is supposed to look like_, Bulma thought as she tried to pull it into a loop. _How hard can this be_?

She gasped when the rope was basically ripped from her hands. She turned to see Vegeta standing there. Three other horses were beside him. At the moment, he was examining the mess Bulma had made of her rope.

"You can make industrial and technological advances but can't tie a simple knot." Vegeta unraveled Bulma's rope. She watched his hands work quickly to make the proper knot along with a big enough loop. He tossed it back at her. "Silly woman."

Bulma frowned as he walked off towards the stable. Her face softened for a moment. "Thanks," she said. She did not think her heard, but when he threw a grunt over his shoulder, she managed to smile a bit. Then she faced Hinotama, who was also watching Vegeta. "He's pretty up his ass, isn't he?" Bulma began to approach the mare.

* * *

Chichi hurried around her store. The photographer was already there. She had several models already trying on the different outfits she had laid out. Juu was just sitting in a chair sipping on a big cup of soda from the gas station. She had propped her feet up on Chichi's desk. Chichi glared over at her.

"What?" Juu asked with a shrug. "I'm not doing anything!"

Chichi walked over to Juu and pushed her feet off the desk. "That's right. You aren't doing _**ANYTHING**_, are you?" She walked away from her friend. "If you aren't going to model, the least you could do is help me with the set and the girls."

Juu sighed and stood up. "Fine!"

Bulma pulled up to Chichi's boutique that was aptly named _Chichi_. Smirking, she parked her car and got out. She tried opening the door but found it to be locked. She looked inside the windows and could see people moving around in the back. She tried knocking on the glass, but no one seemed to hear her.

_I guess I could go around back_, she thought while tapping her foot. She noticed something like a doorbell on the side of the door. _Hello there_... Bulma pressed the button and a high-pitched bell sounded. She jumped at the shocking sound.

"Someone's up front, Chi," Juu said as she helped one of the models into a dress.

"Thank you, Juu," Chichi responded. She left the room and headed to the front. Chichi's annoyed look disappeared when she saw Bulma standing there waving at her. She hurried and opened the door. "Hey! I didn't think you'd come."

Bulma shrugged as she stepped up and into the store. "I told Juu I would come. So, here I am. I'm not late, am I?"

Chichi hurriedly shook her head. "If anything we're the ones that are running behind schedule. So, do you wanna watch or model as well?"

The blue-haired woman blinked. "Well, I..."

Juu tossed Bulma a black dress. "Don't just stand there!" There was a mischievous smile across her face. Bulma looked around to find Chichi, but the other woman was already with the other models.

_Oh, this should be fun_... Bulma soon found herself being undressed and shoved into a chair for hair and makeup. She was no stranger to fast-paced photo shoots, but that did not mean she was used to them. The makeup artist Chichi had did her makeup in what had to be record time while the hairdresser took Bulma's hair and pulled it into a chic fishtail braid. Next, she was pulled from the chair and pushed behind a screen.

Chichi stared at Bulma. The blue-haired beauty was clutching a towel to her body. After staring at her for a moment, Chichi turned away and rummaged through a rack of clothes. She pulled out a one-sleeved black dress with side ruching. The cuff of the only sleeve was embellished with silver rhinestones. She tossed it and some five-inch silver platform heels at her.

"Hurry up, Blue!" Juu called from up front. Bulma hurried away from Chichi to get dressed.

* * *

Vegeta flexed his fingers as he sat down on a bench. He glanced up at the sky. It was nearing the time Cherry usually called everyone in for dinner. The blue-haired she-devil was not back from wherever she had gone yet. To Vegeta's knowledge, she had not called Cherry either. If Bulma did not show soon, Vegeta knew that he would be sent to find her like an errand boy.

"Hey, Vegeta!" Goku jumped over the back of the bench and sat next to Vegeta. "I'm about to head over to Chichi's for dinner," he said.

Vegeta glanced at Goku through his peripheral vision. "What? And miss out on Cherry's cooking? I'm shocked, Kakarrot," he said dryly.

Goku shrugged. "Yeah, I'll miss dinner tonight. But, Chichi said she'd cook for me. Her food tastes great, too."

"Kakarrot, I'd be surprised if you could even taste the difference between an apple and an orange, let alone the difference between Cherry and your harpy's cooking," Vegeta said with a scoff. He listened to the younger man chuckle softly as the black Mercedes pulled up to the big house as Cherry came outside.

"Blue! I was just about to send Vegeta after you!" Cherry said as Bulma opened her car door.

"Sorry for not calling, Aunt Cherry." Bulma pulled herself out of the car.

Vegeta had been frowning after hearing Cherry volunteer him to search for Bulma. Then he got a good look at the other woman. She was not dressed the same as when she left. Her hair was different and it looked like she was wearing makeup. Creasing his eyebrows even further, he rose from the bench and made his way over to the big house.

"Well, I've just finished dinner. Do you mind calling for... There you are, Vegeta. Dinner's ready." Cherry pinched his cheek and bustled back into the house.

Bulma noticed Vegeta for the first time. She vaguely heard Goku yell a greeting and goodbye before getting in his own car and leaving. For some reason, she was just focused on the man in front of her. Realizing she was gaping, Bulma went back to fixing her clothes on her body. She marched past Vegeta without a word and into the house. She did not miss the smirk on his face as he turned to follow.

* * *

Later that night, Bulma collapsed on the sofa in the cottage she shared with Vegeta. She kicked off her shoes and dropped her purse on the floor as she relaxed back into the thick pillows of the couch. She sighed in contentment as Vegeta came in shortly after her. He took one look around at the slight mess Bulma had made and frowned. He jabbed her in the arm.

Bulma opened her eyes and glared daggers up at Vegeta. "What is your problem?" she yelled.

"What the hell is this?" Vegeta gestured around the area. "This is not your room. I don't care how filthy you keep that pigsty, but I will not have you fucking up the rest of the house. Get your shit up and put it away!"

"Don't tell me what to do! And don't yell at me!"

"You're the one screeching, woman!"

Bulma rose from her seat. "I will not be spoken to like I'm a fucking child, Vegeta!"

"Then stop making messes like one!"

Bulma's frown deepened. Where was this hostility coming from? Just 10 minutes ago he was acting halfway civil at dinner. He even answered some of her questions. What had gone wrong during the time they left the table to now? Biting her lip, she punched Vegeta in the chest. It hurt her much more than it probably hurt him. He just smirked at her pathetic attempt to inflict pain on him. Bulma bent down and picked up her purse. She socked Vegeta over the head with it before taking off down the hall to her own room.

Vegeta stood there a little shocked that Bulma had just attacked him with her purse. He looked down and saw that she had left her shoes on the floor. Growling low in his throat, he picked them up and carried them over to the kitchen.

_The nerve of that asshole! What did I ever do to him_? Bulma thought angrily. She looked around her room. _Damnit! I left my shoes out there_! She looked towards her door when she heard a loud noise coming from the kitchen. It sounded like the garbage disposal was on. Bulma's eyes widened and she ran out of the room.

The garbage disposal was indeed on. Vegeta was staring down in the sink as he controlled it. Then she noticed little chunks of leather flying up. Vegeta did not move as Bulma approached him. She stared down in the sink with a horrified look on her face.

Vegeta turned the disposal off and faced Bulma. He leaned in close to her ear. "Next time don't leave your shit around," he whispered in her ear. He then left the kitchen.

When he was gone, Bulma reached into the sink and pulled what was left of her boots out. She deposited them in the trash can before heading back to her room. She slammed the door. _This isn't over, Vegeta_.

* * *

Three days later, Bulma had done a wonderful job of pretending Vegeta did not exist. Even when she was standing directly in front of him, she totally ignored him. She talked to Goku and Frank, but completely disregarded Vegeta's presence.

At the moment, Vegeta was trying to get the garbage disposal to work. Since he destroyed Bulma's boots, the thing had not worked right. _Did not think this one through_, Vegeta admitted to himself. He sighed and inhaled deeply. He frowned when he smelled a foul stench coming from the sink. _That would be the takeout from two days ago. Great_.

Bulma waltzed in the kitchen humming to herself. "Good morning, Vegeta." She smiled at him as she passed. It was the first time she'd spoken to him in three days She grabbed a glass and then went to the refrigerator and took out the carafe of orange juice. She poured a glass and replaced the carafe. She stopped just behind Vegeta and leaned in close to his ear. "Act in haste, repent in leisure," she whispered.

Vegeta squeezed the edge of the counter as Bulma walked out. He glared at the back of her head as she went back to her room. _That blue-haired demon_!

Before Vegeta could go after her, a loud knocking came from the front door. He stomped over to it and swung it open. Chichi stood there with her right hands still raised to knock again. In her left hand she held an orange folder. They just stared at one another for a moment.

"Well?" Vegeta nearly yelled.

Chichi jumped at the sound of his voice. She thrust the orange folder into Vegeta's chest. "These are for Bulma. I just stopped by to drop them off but I'll be back later when I come get Goku." She turned quickly and left him standing in the doorway.

Frowning, Vegeta turned back inside and slammed the door. He walked over to the trash can to immediately toss the folder, but thought better of it. Instead, he went to the living room and sat. Invading someone's privacy was something Vegeta was usually above. However, his enemy was of a different caliber than others. Thus, special tactics needed to be used.

He opened the orange folder and pulled out its contents. Inside were five photos of Bulma. The frown on Vegeta's face softened as he realized what he was looking at. The first picture was of Bulma in a black dress and silver heels. There was nothing special about her pose. The second picture was of her in a white dress. She was turned so that the back drape could be seen. The third had Bulma wearing a strappy berry-colored swing dress. The fourth had her in a cream turtleneck dress and black knee-high boots. The fifth had her modeling a wool cognac-colored cape over a cable knit dress with a turtleneck collar.

There was nothing special about these pictures. Upon first glance, Bulma looked like any other normal model. But, there was something that made Vegeta stare a little longer at the pictures than usual: her eyes. Whoever the photographer had been obviously took a liking to Bulma's eyes. In every picture it appeared that the focus was not on what Bulma was wearing but on her eyes. It could've just been the lighting, but Vegeta had never seen anything like her eyes before.

"What do you think?"

Vegeta blinked and closed his mouth. He looked up to see Bulma leaning against the entryway frame. He shrugged and put the pictures back in the folder before relaxing back on the couch. "She ignores me for three days and now she wants my opinion on her photos," he mused aloud.

Bulma rolled her eyes. She sat down next to Vegeta and took the folder. "You know, I can fix that problem you have in the kitchen," she said as she pulled the pictures out to look at them.

"Why do I get the feeling there's something I must do in return for that to happen?"

"Because there is." She smiled up at him before looking back at the pictures. "Your motorcycle..."

"Woman, you have lost your fucking mind if you think I'm giving you my bike in exchange for your mechanical skills," Vegeta said quickly.

Bulma sighed and looked at the picture where she had on the swing dress. "That's not what I meant, Vegeta. I can always get my own bike. I want you to teach me how to ride it. Do you like this dress? I thought it was very pretty. I think I might treat myself to it. What do you think?" She held the picture up to Vegeta.

"Woman, my time is valuable. Unlike you, I work here. When would I have time to teach you how to ride my bike and where would this take place? Frank won't have me riding around the ranch scaring the horses," he said.

Bulma lowered the picture and snorted. "You can teach me when you get off in the evenings. Please, Vegeta?"

Vegeta stared at her for a minute. She was widening those big blue eyes at him. Scowling back at her, he stood up and made to leave. "Fine. Hurry up and get to it."

"Thank you, Vegeta!" Bulma said happily. He grunted as he left, but stopped in the entryway. He turned his head to the side. "What?"

"It suits you," he said. Then he was gone.

Bulma sat there for a moment and wondered what he was talking about. Then she looked down at the picture of her in the swing dress and remembered her question to him. _He thinks it suits me_. Then she smiled to herself.

* * *

Vegeta was confused. _How does the woman go from three days of the silent treatment to practically talking my ear off? She's the strangest being I have ever come into contact with_, he thought in a huff. He left the cottage and started walking towards the stables.

Frank was already there with Goku. They were leading a few of the Clydesdales out. Frank noticed Vegeta immediately. "Glad you could join us. The producers will be here in about thirty minutes. Once you've got them ready, make yourselves scarce. I'm sure by then Cherry will have lunch ready.

Bulma walked across the yard towards the big house. She could see the men working by the stables. From what her uncle told her, movie producers would be coming. That was something she did not want to be around for. As far as she knew, no one knew that the owners of the famed Paradisio were relatives of hers. She wanted to keep it that way. So, she headed to the big house to find the needed tools in order to fix the garbage disposal.

When Bulma walked in the house, she was greeted with the aroma of confectionary delights. She followed her nose and the humming to see her aunt moving around her kitchen at light-speed. The kitchen in the table was covered with pies, tarts, cupcakes, and cakes of every type. They were all homemade, of course.

"Good afternoon, Blue dear," Cherry said, never missing a step. She was currently spreading raspberry filling over the top of one of her layer cakes. She placed another layer on top of it and then began putting the icing on the cake, literally.

"Aunt Cherry, what is all this?" Bulma asked.

"Hm? Oh, this is all for the tasting I'm having tomorrow," the older woman replied enthusiastically.

Bulma raised an eyebrow. "Tasting?"

"Yep. I'm going to have a sweets booth at the fair this year. I'll be selling cakes, cake pops, pies, mini pies, tarts, cookies, cupcakes, and perhaps I'll make some pralines too. Vegeta loves my pralines. Blue, would you like to help at the tasting?"

"Um, who all's helping?"

Cherry giggled. "Who else? I've got two perfectly good tasters: Goku and Vegeta. Well, Goku will do little more than inhale the food. But Vegeta likes to at least take the time to taste his. He'll let me know what the best ones are."

Bulma nodded as she made her way over to the table covered in sweets. "So, you said Vegeta loves your pralines. I never figured Vegeta was much of a candy-lover," she said.

Cherry laughed as she carried her finished cake over to the table. "He's not. I call them pralines but he calls them chocolates. Technically, they're both since the recipe is used mainly for Belgian chocolates. I haven't gotten started on them yet, but I don't think I need them for the tasting... Blue, do you still make that divine chocolate torte?"

Bulma laughed nervously. "Aunt Cherry, I haven't made that thing since I was in college. Where are you going?" she asked as Cherry took off her apron and grabbed her keys from the hook by the door.

"I'm going to the store. What do you need for it? I remember strawberry jam and chocolate icing..."

"_**DARK**_ chocolate icing," Bulma corrected quietly.

"That's right! Dark chocolate icing, it is. Any particular brand of jam you want?"

"Um, I usually make the jam myself. So just some strawberries and I'm sure you already have anything else I need."

"Of course I do! This place is my own personal bakery. I think I might have to get some wheat flour for the sponge cake, though. All I have is all-purpose and cake flour. I think I'm out of cocoa though..." Cherry trailed off as she walked out of the room. She stopped and looked back at Bulma. "Tools are in the shed, dear!" Then she was gone.

Bulma blinked. She had come inside to ask where she could find some tools, but she did not remember voicing the question. Either way, her aunt had known her true purpose for being there. So, Bulma headed out back and to the shed. _I can't believe I agreed to make this torte_...

* * *

Some time later, Vegeta walked back into the cottage. He was chewing on a cupcake he had stolen from the kitchen. The first sound he heard upon entering was the loud music blaring from his stereo system. Then he heard the somewhat off-key singing of a woman. The last thing he heard was the clanging of metal. Mumbling curses under his breath, he walked in the kitchen to see tools laid across the floor, the remnants of leather boots and Chinese food, and Bulma's body. She appeared headless, as she was on her back and still under the sink. Vegeta walked right up to her, trying not to ogle her body too much, and kicked her lightly. He heard something hit knock up against the wall under the sink.

"Shit!" Bulma cursed as she slid out from under the sink. She glared up at Vegeta. "Damnit, Vegeta! You scared me! What do you want?"

Ignoring her tone with him, he gestured to the music. "Is this always how you work? Noisily and sloppily?" he asked.

Bulma rolled her eyes. "I refuse to dignify that with a reply. However, I think I may just have finished it." She stood up and flicked the disposal on. She smiled when it ran smoothly. "Success!"

Vegeta was not surprised that she could fix it. She did invent things for a living. He was surprised that she managed to do it in one sitting, though. "Hn," was all he said.

"You're welcome, oh mighty one. Don't forget about our deal." Bulma bent down and began to clean up the mess. To her surprise, Vegeta silently joined her in cleaning. Not wanting to ruin the random act of goodwill towards her (or the moment), Bulma remained silent and just smiled to herself. When they were done cleaning, Vegeta made to take out the trash as Bulma went to wash her hands.

"Tomorrow night, after dinner," Vegeta said as he exited with the trash bag.

Bulma smirked and leaned against the counter. "Thank you, Vegeta," she whispered.


	7. Chapter 7: Ride

**Paradisio**

**Chapter 7: Ride**

* * *

Vegeta opened his eyes to hear different noises coming from the kitchen. He still felt relatively woozy from all the sugar he had consumed the day before. He would never admit it to anyone else but a large sugar intake still made him crash like a toddler. The night before he had come back home to see Bulma hustling about the kitchen. He barely acknowledged her and she did not seem to notice him. Vegeta never pegged Bulma as one to use the kitchen, let alone know her way around it past fixing appliances; and that was only because of her apparent mechanical genius.

As he rolled out of the bed and headed to his bedroom door, Vegeta could hear mumbling coming from the kitchen. He entered the hallway, trying to ignore the noise coming from the kitchen. What he could not ignore was the welcome smell of chocolate and strawberries. Vegeta completed his daily hygiene routine and headed towards the kitchen.

Bulma was carefully placing something in the refrigerator when Vegeta walked in the kitchen. She turned to see Vegeta staring around the kitchen in thinly veiled horror. "I know it looks a mess right now. Have no fear. I'll have this cleaned up in no time." She started gathering all the dishes and utensils she had been using and put them in the sink.

Vegeta gave her a glare and headed towards the refrigerator. Bulma watched out of the side of her eye as he opened the refrigerator and pulled out the carton of milk. She saw him lean against the counter and began chugging. Rolling her eyes, Bulma started washing dishes. She could feel Vegeta's eyes watching her and shifted slightly. After a few minutes, she began to concentrate on cleaning the kitchen rather than Vegeta's silent presence.

Bulma was so engrossed in her task that she did not notice when Vegeta was directly beside her. She almost screamed when she saw him in her peripheral vision. "What the hell is wrong with you? You scared me!" Bulma slapped his arm with her wet hand. "Why are you still in here anyway? Shouldn't you be hassling my aunt for breakfast?"

The flame-haired man simply smirked at how uncomfortable Bulma was. "It's almost noon, woman; well past the time for breakfast."

"And don't you have a job to do? Surely you're very late." Bulma looked at him pointedly. She watched him shrug and rolled her eyes. "Doofus..."

Vegeta let out a deep chuckle. "_Doofus_? Really? That's the best your supposedly brilliant mind could come up with? Are you still in middle school, woman?" He polished off the carton of milk and discarded the empty carton in the trash. He started to leave when Bulma's voice stopped him.

The blue-haired woman appeared contemplative for a moment. "I never went to middle school." Bulma shot him a sarcastic look. "Don't forget about our deal, Vegeta," she piped. She heard him let out an irritated grunt as he retreated back to his room. Bulma smiled in triumph and continued washing the dishes.

* * *

A little while later, Frank watched Vegeta join him and Goku in the stables. "Nice of you to grace us with your presence this fine afternoon, Vegeta."

"This isn't the first time I've been late, Frank," Vegeta said with a glare. He began putting on his gloves and picked up an empty pail. "You're just going to dock my pay. What's it amount to? Half a day?"

"You know," Frank smiled in a way that reminded Vegeta far too much of a Cheshire cat, "I've been thinking about that. I don't think docking your pay really gets the point across. After all, if you put in overtime, you can always just earn it back. I prefer to keep paying you, but just give you something different to do."

Vegeta shrugged. "Like what? Clean the stalls?"

"No. I've got something far better than that." Frank looked out towards the part of the ranch Vegeta rarely ventured to. Vegeta followed his gaze. "I'm sure the instructors could always use a helping hand." He clapped a hand down on Vegeta's shoulder with a hearty laugh as he passed the younger man.

Vegeta scowled behind Frank's back. If there was one thing he hated, it was teaching the newbies how to ride. He despised giving riding lessons mainly because he strongly disliked whiny children and conceited women more concerned with breaking a nail than staying on the horse. However, Vegeta had to applaud Frank for his choice of punishment.

"Lessons start at two, Vegeta!" Frank called over his shoulder.

Goku snickered from his corner on the wall. He stopped when he saw the expression on Vegeta's face. Coughing to disguise his laugh, he leaned up off the wall and pocketed his hands. "So why were you so late anyway?" he asked.

"I overslept." The tone Vegeta used ended the conversation before it even began. Goku, having known Vegeta for most of his life, decided not to say anything else and they silently went about their respective jobs.

* * *

A few hours later, Bulma sat outside on the porch of the ranch house. Her aunt sat not too far away from her. They were both sipping the strawberry lemonade Cherry had made. "I'm surprised you aren't running around the kitchen, Aunt Cherry. It's strange to see you just sitting out here," Bulma said.

Cherry let out a small laugh. "Even I need a break, Blue. Besides, I'm not completely idle like you. I'm still making a list of the ingredients I need for the final pastries and cakes I'm making for the fair. That reminds me. Did you make that torte?"

"I did. It's in the refrigerator back in the cottage. I haven't made it since I was in college."

"You act like that was so long ago, Blue. You've only been out of college for what? Five years?"

Bulma nodded and looked back out at the ranch. Since she'd entered college at a relatively young age, she'd finished all her schooling by the time she could legally drink. Bulma had never really thought about it, but she was something of an overachiever. Since she was a child all she did was learn. Even as vice-president of her father's company, she was still learning; learning the business so that she could take over one day. _I have almost no life outside of science_, she thought sadly. _Yamcha was the closest I came to a legitimate friend and I'm not even sure that was genuine. Oh well_...

* * *

Vegeta caught her eye at the stables. He was helping some women mount horses. The two women were incredibly flirty and giggly. Vegeta paid them absolutely no mind and went about leading the horses to the riding pasture just past the stables. Bulma had cleverly disguised herself under a baseball cap. He rolled his eyes and guided the women on horses to a pasture beyond the barn.

"This should be so much fun! Plus our instructor is so handsome!" The women were already wearing on his nerves. They were middle-aged, loud, and giggle like teenagers.

"I never got your name," the redhead said to Vegeta. Her voice had lowered significantly and she was staring at him with a sneaky grin on her face. Vegeta craned his neck to look at her. "I wouldn't like to just keep calling you _instructor_. My name is Victoria, but everyone calls me Vika."

Vegeta stared the woman down with a look colder than ice. _Vika_ seemed completely unfazed by his glare and waited patiently with the grin on her face. Rolling his eyes, Vegeta looked away from her. "Vegeta," he answered.

Vika nodded. "Such a regal-sounding name, Vegeta. One that commands respect and exudes authority."

_She's really laying it on thick_, Vegeta mused with a smirk on his face.

* * *

Bulma continued to watch the scene from her perch on the main house's porch. Even from her seat she could see how hard the redhead was flirting with Vegeta. Her blonde friend seemed to urge her on. From her relatively short time knowing Vegeta, Bulma could he was not easily catered to. The older woman may have thought she had the upper hand by stroking his ever-expanding ego, but in reality Vegeta was just stringing her along.

_She's at least my mother's age. If you're going to come on to him she should try to not be so obvious about her. Vegeta is enjoying toying with her_, Bulma mused. The woman was now practically throwing herself at Vegeta. It was both amusing and somewhat disgusting. Sighing, Bulma looked away and stared up at the clouds.

"Blue, your mother is on the phone." Cherry reappeared carrying the portable phone. She handed it to Bulma and retreated back into the house.

"Mom?"

"_Bulma! How are you? I tried calling your cell but it kept going straight to voicemail. Is everything okay?_" Bunny sounded somewhat frantic and concerned. Bulma could only chuckle a bit.

"I'm fine, Mom. I just broke my phone and haven't replaced it yet. Honestly, you worry far too much."

"_Sometimes I think you don't worry enough, Bulma. Besides, Yamcha keeps calling me trying to find you. You should at least call him and talk to him_..."

"Mom..."

"_Now I'm not saying you have to tell him where you are. Just tell him why you need this time alone and that you'll be back soon. That way he will stop hassling everyone in New York City about where you are_."

Bulma smiled a bit. "He's really been that adamant about finding me? That's definitely new. I honestly believe he's just being nosy, though. He didn't care where I was until I wasn't around for him to flaunt." She sighed and gazed up at the blue sky. "Okay. I'll call him. Just make sure he doesn't call Daddy. You know he can't keep a secret if he tried."

Bunny giggled on her end. "_As smart as your father is, you'd think he'd be able to hold water. He loves to explain and discuss. I hope you're having fun, dear. Just remember to keep a low profile_."

"I will, Mom. Tell Daddy I love him. Talk to you later."

"_Yes. Bye-bye, dear_." The call ended and Bulma sat the phone down. She glanced over to the pasture where Vegeta was supervising the two women on the horses. The heiress stood and made sure her baseball cap was tight. Then she began walking towards the pasture.

_Vika_ was chatting to Vegeta as she circled the pasture on the horse. Vegeta was barely listening to her, catching tidbits here and there. From what he had heard, he learned that Vika was a masseuse and her friend's name was Rosalie. Other than that information, Vegeta had heard nothing. He turned in a circle, watching the women. He noticed Vika had stopped talking. Vegeta turned around to look at her, but was stopped when he saw what Vika was looking at.

"Hey, sexy!" Bulma was strolling up to him with a big smile on her face. Without warning, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him into a hug. "Play along," she whispered in his ear.

Slowly, Vegeta returned her hug. "What are you doing, woman?"

"Discouraging the _puma concolor_ from stalking her prey," she whispered back. She released Vegeta and stepped back. "Having fun out here?" Her voice was louder now.

"It's hot," Vegeta said blandly.

"Well, why don't you take a break? I'll watch these ladies while you go refresh yourself." Bulma grabbed the ropes out of his hand and pushed him towards the big house. "Hurry now! I'm sure these _ladies_ wouldn't want to miss a moment of your instruction." She gave Vegeta another smile and a wink. She could still see the bemusement on Vegeta's face as he began walking back towards the big house. After watching him go, Bulma's smile dropped and she faced the women.

Vika's pleasant disposition had changed dramatically. "Where is Vegeta going?"

Bulma began working the rope into a proper knot. "Just to replenish himself. He'll be back momentarily. In the meantime, why don't we bring these horses to a trot? I'm sure you're dying for some more excitement than just sauntering around in a circle." Bulma's smile returned, but this time there was a hint of mischief in it.

* * *

Vegeta walked in the big house and immediately went to the kitchen. Cherry was there getting an early start on dinner. Vegeta could smell the beginnings of something. He sneaked over to the stove and opened the lid off a large pot. Inside was some of Cherry's homemade marinara sauce. She also had a pot of water that was beginning to boil.

"Why are you in my kitchen, Vegeta?" Cherry asked as she swooped inside the hot room. She headed straight for the refrigerator. Vegeta opened his mouth to answer but before he could form the words Cherry had poured him a glass of lemonade and ushered him to the island in the middle of the kitchen. Vegeta sat down on a stool and watched Cherry cook. "You never told me why you were in here, Vegeta," the older woman said as she began grating cheese.

"The woman told me to rest for a moment," Vegeta replied.

Cherry hummed to herself. She peered out the window overlooking the pasture. "You mean she saved you from that woman. I saw the way she was eyeing you. You'd think you were a five-course meal and she was Goku. She wanted every inch of you, my good sir."

"That obvious?"

"You'd have to be blind, deaf, and dumb not to notice. It was nice of Bulma take over before that woman really started to sink her teeth into you. She almost reminds me of that skank you bring around here sometimes." Cherry did not hide the disdain in her voice.

Vegeta knew she was referring to Mai. Cherry usually did not care for whomever he brought home, but she never failed to show how much she disapproved of Mai. "Perhaps they are related," he said dryly.

Cherry smiled with her back to him. "Perhaps. However, I think you should get back out there. Blue's patience can run thin and she does not have close to the self-control you do," she said.

* * *

Bulma was wondering how Vegeta managed to put up Vika and her friend for so long without snapping at them. _He must have the patience of a fucking saint. These two crybabies are about to make me strangle them_, she thought tersely.

"Oh look! Vegeta's back!" Vika sounded far too giddy. Bulma turned around to see where he was coming from and was taken completely by surprise by his actions.

Vegeta grabbed her around the waist and pulled her into a kiss. Bulma's eyes were wide and her arms flailed about for a moment. After the initial shock wore off, Bulma brought her hands in and placed them on Vegeta's chest. She fisted his shirt and pulled on it to bring him closer. After a good 30 seconds, the two separated.

"You can go now," Vegeta said.

"Nuh huh," was all Bulma could manage at the time. "I think I'll go back to the cottage now."

Vegeta watched Bulma walk shakily towards their shared home. Smirking, he looked back at his two charges. "Let's finish this."

Bulma flopped down on the couch in the living room when she returned to the cottage. _What the hell just happened_? She was thoroughly confused. Their act did not need to go that far to seem realistic. _He's a pretty good kisser, though_. Laughing softly, Bulma reached for the remote and turned the television on.

"So is she your girlfriend?" Vika asked as Vegeta helped her dismount from the horse. "She seems so young and you're so... mature," she said.

"She is young." Vegeta tied up the horse. "But she's no younger than me."

"You never answered my question."

Vegeta looked at her. "Should I go get her so you can see for yourself?" he asked. Vika bit her lip and said nothing more. She motioned to her friend and they headed to the check-in station. Rolling his eyes, Vegeta finished tying the horses up. He appreciated female attention as much as any man would, but sometimes it was more trouble than it was worth. It occurred to him belatedly that he had never directly answered Vika's question.

After finishing his work, Vegeta headed to the cottage to shower and get ready for dinner. When he entered his home, he saw Bulma watching television. She seemed engrossed in some entertainment gossip show. As he passed her, he noticed that she was squeezing the remote so tightly that her knuckles had turned white. It interested him what had her so bothered that he glanced at the television.

She was watching one of those paparazzi shows where they catch up with celebrities outside clubs and airports just for a quick chat. At the moment, they were going on about some famous baseball player who had been seen partying with some model.

"_But isn't he dating Bulma Briefs? They've been an item since the beginning of time_."

"_I don't know if they've broken up. No one's seen Bulma Briefs in almost a week. Usually she turns up shopping or leaving her office. No such luck this week_."

"_Well that's odd. Did you get any words with_..."

The conversation went on for a few minutes before they showed the athlete in question with a model who resembled Bulma in a strange way. The man appeared shocked that he'd been caught on tape. He was even asked if he was concerned Bulma was going to see it, to which he shrugged and answered that Bulma never read gossip magazines or watched celebrity shows.

_Well, she's doing it now. What a moron. Why would you be so arrogant and casual about your infidelity_? Vegeta wondered. He chanced a glance over at Bulma she looked ready to throw the remote at the television. Before she could, Vegeta touched her hand. Bulma glared up at him, looking ready to strike. She relaxed when she realize it was him. Vegeta took the remote from her and turned it off.

"That asshole! He makes me so sick!" Bulma got to her feet and began to walk towards her bedroom. Before she got to the hallway, she whirled around and looked at Vegeta. "You know what? Fuck him! I don't care anymore! My mother said I should call him and talk it out. I think not! That idiot can burn in hell for all I care! How dare he make a fool of me like this! Who the hell does he think he is? Doesn't he know who the fuck I am?" She was yelling at Vegeta in an octave he never knew she could reach.

"He does, woman. He just doesn't care," Vegeta said plainly.

Bulma stopped moving. She sighed and sat back down on the couch. "You're right. He doesn't care."

Vegeta sighed and crossed his arms. Bulma looked near tears. The last thing he wanted was a crying woman. He could deal with her when she was yelling. However, a crying woman was a foreign concept to him. "Then you shouldn't either, woman. If he doesn't give a damn, then you're wasting precious energy giving a rat's ass about him." He headed to the bathroom.

Bulma watched Vegeta disappear down the hall. _He's right. If Yamcha doesn't care then I shouldn't either. I'm Bulma Fucking Briefs! I can have any man I want! I could destroy his career if I so felt the need to_. She took a deep breath and sat up straight. _I'm better than that. Revenge is childish. There other ways to deal with this. Just... don't care_.

"Woman!" Vegeta's voice brought Bulma out of her thoughts. "You should eat lightly tonight."

Bulma raised an eyebrow. "Eat lightly? Why?"

* * *

Her answer came almost three hours later. Bulma stood on the ranch's porch as Vegeta wheeled his bike up to the front. He tossed Bulma a bright reflective vest. She noticed he was already wearing one. The sun had set though there was still some light on the horizon. Bulma hesitantly put it on and started to descend the porch steps as Frank came outside, lighting a cigar.

"Where are you two headed all dressed up like that?" the older man asked. He took a seat on one of the rocking chairs. Cherry came outside as well, carrying a glass of whiskey and a lemonade. She placed the whiskey on the table between the two rocking chairs and sat across from her husband. "A bit late for a joyride, don't you think?"

Vegeta tossed a helmet to Bulma before putting on his own. "Your precious _Blue_ was just begging me to teach her to ride. I said tonight after dinner. Well, it's after dinner," he replied shortly. Vegeta mounted the bike looked at Bulma. The heiress was tugging the helmet down.

"You're not going to teach her on that road, are you?" Cherry spoke up. She did not approve of even Vegeta riding the bike. She thought they were too dangerous and people were way too irresponsible with them. "You know how I feel about that thing, Vegeta."

"Your concern is duly noted, Ms. Cherry. However, I am not using the road that leads to this place. I have a spot in mind that's deserted and a lot more... illuminated. Get on, woman."

"All right, all right. You don't have to rush me." Bulma took her seat behind him and looked back at her aunt and uncle. "Be right back!" she yelled over the revving of the bike. Within the next moment, Vegeta had shot off.

Frank took a gulp of his whiskey and sighed at the warm taste. He sat the glass back down and ashed his cigar before looking over at his wife. Cherry was flipping lazily through a clothing catalogue while sipping her lemonade. "Is that just lemonade, dear?"

Cherry looked up from her catalogue. "Of course, dear. What _kind_ of lemonade is the question you should be asking," she replied with a wink. "Do you think those two will be safe?"

"Sure they will. They're big kids. They can take care of themselves and if anything happens I'm sure we'll get a call. Don't worry. Bulma said they'd be back so they will. She would never lie to us."

"Perhaps you're right." Cherry looked off towards the gate to the ranch. "I still don't like that bike."

* * *

Vegeta took Bulma to the outskirts of the town. They were riding down a road that was well-paved but in the middle of a forest. Bulma felt a little anxious about being so far away from _civilization_ and enclosed in such a dark place. The only good thing about the road was that it was well-lit. It made it hard to see into the forest with how bright the lights were.

Vegeta came to a stop and parked the bike. Bulma released her hold on him and he got off, removing his helmet simultaneously. He motioned for Bulma to scoot forward on the seat. She complied and looked down. Vegeta smirked when he realized that she apparently needed something to do with her hands. _What a silly woman_.

"So what do I do now?"

"Well, first you should familiarize yourself with the vehicle." Vegeta sat behind her. He covered her hands with his own and guided them around. "On the right side, you have the brake and the accelerator. The pedal down there is the rear brake. This in the middle is the gauge. On the left side, this is clutch. Down by your left foot is the gear shift." He pointed out all the different mechanisms and walked her through how everything worked. Vegeta noticed that she remained completely silent as he talked, but it was clear she was paying attention by the way she nodded slowly. "Start the bike."

Bulma looked down at the handlebars. She ran her mind back to what Vegeta had said. _Okay. Flip the switch here. Then turn the key to the ignition position. What else did he say? Disengage the clutch and then press start_. Bulma proceeded to do everything she ran down in her mind with extreme precision and the bike started smoothly.

Vegeta was impressed. When he taught Goku how to ride his bike it took the imbecile at least four times to get the sequence right. It was a miracle that he had not broken anything. "You forgot the kickstand," Vegeta said in her ear.

Smiling, Bulma used her left foot to put the kickstand up. The feeling of the bike being free-standing took her by surprise but Vegeta made sure she stayed steadied on the bike by wrapping his arms around her waist. The action took Bulma by surprise. _Of course he'll hold onto me. He can't very well ride behind me with no support_, she thought, trying to calm herself.

"Aren't you going to put your helmet back on? Not exactly safe to ride without one on."

"Woman, you aren't getting out of first gear for this lesson. Besides, I need to clearly see what you're doing and I can't if that damn helmet is in the way. Now pay attention." Vegeta placed his left hand on her thigh. Bulma jumped slightly, but looked down at what he was doing. "Relax. You're too tense. Do you know how to drive manual in a car?"

Bulma shrugged. She could barely hear him. "I learned but I prefer automatic."

"Then you know the proper way to shift gears?"

"Yeah. I suppose."

"You either do or you don't, woman."

Bulma sighed and removed her helmet as well. Craning her neck, she glanced over her shoulder at Vegeta. "I know the basic mechanics of it but I learned all that stuff when I was sixteen. Isn't it a bit different on this though?"

Vegeta frowned at her before sighing. He then went into great detail about how to switch gears and then how to accelerate, using his hands to show her how everything worked. Bulma listened intently. When Vegeta placed his arms back around her waist, she took a deep breath. She followed Vegeta's instructions and before she knew it they were rolling slowly down the straight street.

He looked at her and saw she was smiling as she drove. "Can you turn around?" he whispered in her ear over the sound of the bike. She jumped again. It was almost as if she kept forgetting he was there. That or she was nervous for him to be so close. Vegeta watched closely as she maneuvered the bike around without stopping. Then she started driving back to where they left their helmets.

"I can see why you ride this thing," Bulma said. "It's fun having the wind in your face."

"I don't ride it to feel the wind in my face," Vegeta countered.

"Oh? So why do you ride it?"

"For the freedom." Vegeta moved his head from her right shoulder to her left. It was the only way to keep her hair from blinding him. It dawned on Vegeta that aside from Bulma, he'd never actually shared his motorcycle with anyone else. He barely let people ride in his car with him and Goku was lucky he won a bet against Vegeta for him to even consider teaching him. But Vegeta had allowed Bulma all of these and he didn't know why. Sure, he was attracted to her. Vegeta would admit that much. He was attracted to most beautiful woman and Bulma was no exception. There was something else about her, though. Something that made him think more of her than just being a pretty face.

"Do you want me to turn again?" Bulma asked as they neared their helmets.

"If you want to." The truth was Vegeta did not want to let her go. As expected, Bulma was also having too much fun to just stop so she turned the bike and headed back down the street.

As they rode in silence, Bulma relaxed a bit more until Vegeta was pretty much the back of her "seat." It was a subtle movement and Bulma barely realized she was doing it. She was comfortable in his arms. Seeing that he was complacent in their ride, Bulma shifted to the second gear. The move took Vegeta by surprise and he watched warily as she sped up slowly.

"Woman..."

"Don't worry. I won't go too fast. I won't even switch up to third. I'll stay right here." Bulma smiled as she drove a little faster. The wind whipped through her hair. She stiffened a little when she felt Vegeta increase his grip on her waist. "I'm not making you nervous, am I?"

"Just pay attention to the road, woman," Vegeta said. They lapsed into a comfortable silence once more. Vegeta inhaled and realized he could smell strawberries for some reason. He flashed back to walking in the bathroom after Bulma showered. It always smelled of strawberries.

Bulma eventually pulled back up to their helmets and parked the bike. She turned it off and twisted in the seat to look at Vegeta. There was a big smile on her face. "Well? How was I?"

Vegeta removed himself from the bike and picked up the helmets. He tossed Bulma hers. "Well you caught on to it faster than I thought you would." He then smirked. "You're still barely novice, though," he said. Bulma playfully pushed him and stood up off the bike. At the same time, Vegeta was stepping forward to mount the bike. They bumped into one another. Being the more solid of the two, Vegeta won the battle of bodies and had to reach out to keep Bulma from falling back into the bike. He pulled her into his chest, holding his helmet out to the side.

The heiress was surprised by both the bump and then being firmly held in place next to Vegeta's chest. She looked up into his face and saw he was looking down on her. She knew exactly what he was thinking; or what she thought he was thinking. _He's probably thinking that I'm a silly woman. Damn him for being so handsome_, she thought. _Well, that last one was pretty random. He is kinda cute but he's such an ass sometimes. Either way, he is a great kisser_. Bulma's eyes widened slightly when she remembered the kiss. She'd almost completely forgotten about it. Considering that Yamcha's infidelity had been all over the television, the kiss had escaped her mind. Her eyes fell to his lips. _How long have we just been standing here_?

"I'm going to kiss you now," Bulma stated quietly. She saw Vegeta's left eyebrow raise slightly, but he did nothing to stop her. The kiss was soft and chaste, yet Vegeta had the feeling she was holding back immensely. She was restraining herself and he did not know why. When she pulled back, she immediately put her helmet on and took a seat on the bike. Smirking once more, Vegeta followed her example and they were off.

* * *

The ranch was completely dark when they returned. Vegeta drove slowly and quietly towards the cottage. Bulma dismounted fairly quickly as he parked. She headed straight for the door. She tried opening it and then realized that she did not have a key to the house. Sighing, she got ready to look for Vegeta when two hands appeared on either side of her. Bulma turned around and saw Vegeta standing there, looking at her in a predatory manner.

"Are you going to open the door any time soon?" Bulma said, leaning back against it. She knew her arm was covering the keyhole but made no indication that she did. Vegeta leaned in closer to her. "Well?"

"You are in my way. Move."

Bulma leaned in closer to his face. "Make me," she whispered. Vegeta did nothing and Bulma giggled. She moved her arm so he could open the door. Once the two were inside, Bulma headed for her room. "Well, I'm out for the night. Thanks for the..."

Vegeta took hold of Bulma's arm and pushed her against his bedroom door. His lips crashed against hers before she could ask what his problem was. Bulma seemed surprised. She had never even heard him come up behind her. He moved so silently that it was scary. His kiss was not soft or chaste as hers had been. It was almost bruising but Bulma welcomed it. She dropped her hands to her side as she melted into the kiss. Vegeta held her up with one arm.

The kiss broke and Bulma opened her eyes. She seemed lost for a moment before she recognized Vegeta. He had stepped away from her. What was he thinking? This was his boss' niece. The way she was looking at him with lust and need in her eyes was as hard to ignore as the ache in his groin. She reached out for him and this time he was the one being pushed up against her bedroom door while kissing him again. Vegeta took the initiative once again and pushed her against his door. She gripped onto his shoulders and both fought for dominance. Eventually Vegeta left her mouth and began heading lower. His right hand began working the buttons on her shirt while his left hand steadied her. Growing tired of fighting the buttons, Vegeta settled for ripping the shirt open, sending the buttons flying everywhere.

"Mmmm... I liked that shirt..." Bulma whispered. Vegeta made even shorter work of her designer bra. "That was an eighty-dollar..." She could no longer speak past muttering Vegeta's name as he kneaded her left breast in his hand. Bulma's hands made their way to his hair as he went even lower with his mouth as he hoisted her up with one hand. Bulma continued to moan his name.

Suddenly, Vegeta stopped everything. Bulma gasped in shock at his sudden let up. Then he picked her up properly. Bulma looked dazed and confused. Vegeta saw her questioning, lost expression and smirked. He opened his door with one hand, stepped in, and kicked it shut. His room was dark, but Bulma barely noticed it. Vegeta dropped her on something soft before covering her with his body once more. She tensed when his hand went for her denim shorts.

Vegeta stopped and looked at her. He could see her eyes in the very dim light the moon afforded them through his small window. "I can stop." It would be excruciating, but he would stop if she was hesitant.

Bulma tried to slow her breathing in order to form coherent words other than his name. She shook her head. "No, don't stop," she whispered. Vegeta nodded and went back to what he was doing. Bulma tangled her hands in his hair and gasped as she felt what he was doing with his mouth. A long groan escaped her mouth. "Don't stop. Please don't stop."


End file.
